- Weak Enforcement and Backsliding: Transparency International’s analysis of eight European countries highlights persistent gaps in anti-corruption frameworks, with countries like Slovakia and Italy actively weakening legal safeguards and oversight mechanisms.
- Risks in Political Finance and Lobbying: Opaque political donation systems, weak lobbying regulations, and ineffective asset declarations make it difficult for the public to scrutinize conflicts of interest and track undue influence.
- Stagnant Reform Efforts: Despite annual monitoring by the European Commission, many EU member states repeatedly ignore anti-corruption recommendations, leaving major loopholes open year after year.
- Call for Ambitious Action: Governments are urged to go beyond minimum EU requirements by enforcing real-time financial transparency, strengthening investigative capacity, and guaranteeing the independence of oversight bodies and prosecutors.
https://www.transparency.org/en/news/anti-corruption-gaps-leaving-democracy-europe-exposed