As delivered by Marija Pejčinović Burić, Secretary General of the Council of Europe

Distinguished speakers and experts,

Ladies and gentlemen,

The Council of Europe works to protect and promote three essential pillars:

Human rights, democracy, and the rule of law.

We have long understood the corrosive effect that corruption has on all of these –

And have put in place standards, monitoring and technical assistance designed to counter it.

In recent times, however, a new challenge has emerged.

We have seen a dangerous trend towards democratic backsliding in Europe –

And around the world –

With extreme populism and nationalism fuelling anti-rights movements –

Weakening democratic institutions –

And undermining respect for the rule of law.

All of this creates the conditions in which corruption spreads.

So, what is to be done?

Last year, the Council of Europe held a Summit of Heads of State and Government in Reykjavík.

There, European leaders agreed a range of measures.

Among these was a set of Principles of
Democracy –

By which to measure and address the health of European democracies.

These Principles include a commitment to the relentless fight against corruption –

Holding to account those in power –

Fighting organised crime –

Maintaining the separation of powers –

Ensuring independent, impartial and effective judiciaries –

And encouraging democratic participation through free and fair elections.

Independent checks and balances are essential –

And the Council of Europe will work with all its member states to help them deliver all of this.

Central to that will be the work of our expert and monitoring bodies –

Which have deep expertise in tackling corruption in its evolving forms.

These include our Venice Commission which helps governments strengthen the rule of law –

MONEYVAL, which works to fight money laundering –

And, most importantly, our Group of States against Corruption, GRECO –

Whose remit includes fighting and preventing corruption among judges, prosecutors and members of Parliament –

And in central government and law-enforcement agencies –

The subject of its last evaluation round –

As well as in local and regional authorities –

Which will be the focus of GRECO’s next evaluation round.

Of course, ensuring honest, law-abiding governments must not be left to those governments alone –

Even with the support of international organisations.

We need others to serve a “watchdog” function too.

Among these are the free media and civil society –

Both of which investigate, gather information, and hold authorities to account –

At the national and international levels.

This encourages a culture of openness and integrity.

But part of the democratic backsliding that we see today is the intentional intimidation of journalists –

And deliberate use and misuse of laws to shrink civic space –

To prevent accountability.

For a clear and tragic example of this, we need only think of Alexei Navalny –

Who campaigned against corruption –

Promoted investigative journalism –

And paid for this with his life –

As part of Russia’s spiral of descent from democratic norms.

But we can reverse these trends –

And the Council of Europe has provided the tools to do so.

For example, in April of this year, our Committee of Ministers adopted a recommendation to member states –

Guiding them to devise effective strategies against SLAPPS –

The Strategic Lawsuits against Public Participation that are used increasingly to prevent journalists, civil society actors, and whistle-blowers and human rights defenders –

From being able to do their work –

And we have a range of tools to help governments create the space for healthy civic organisation and engagement –

As well as recent reforms within the Council of Europe –

And a new roadmap –

To enable closer civil society engagement with our own policy process.

Lastly, I want to mention a specific form of corruption that we must take further steps to address.

Environmental corruption causes terrible and
wide-ranging harms –

From the impact of by-passing important regulations –

To the direct release of toxic substances into our air, water and earth.

The Reykjavík Declaration issued at our Summit last year was clear about the threat to our rights posed by the triple planetary crisis of pollution, climate change and the loss of biodiversity.

We cannot allow corrupt and illegal practices to make this worse.

We must instead act together, to prevent such offences.

GRECO has been very clear about the need for governments to play their part in this, as they must in all anti-corruption efforts –

And we are at work on a new Convention on the Protection of the Environment through Criminal Law.

I hope that many countries will ratify it and bring it into force.

Ladies and gentlemen, corruption will never simply be solved.

It requires a determined and concerted effort.

But, where there is political will –

We can both shape and apply the tools that prevent and protect against it to the greatest possible extent.

The Reykjavík Declaration stated the determination of 46 European governments to do this.

Progress has been made –

And our work will move forward.

Thank you.