In its many forms, corruption is a major threat to local and regional governance and to democracy in Europe, that public authorities need to address as a matter of urgency.
To tackle this challenge and provide local and regional elected representatives with concrete tools, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities has adopted a European Code of Conduct for all Persons Involved in Local and Regional Governance and a Roadmap to Prevent Corruption and Promote Public Ethics at Local and Regional Level. This comprises six reports compiled in the "Public Ethics" series: conflict of interest, transparency and open government, transparent public procurement, administrative resources and fair elections, combating nepotism and protecting whistleblowers.
With the decentralisation of power, the quality of local governance has become decisive, including its ethical dimension. This is why, in addition to introducing criminal law provisions against corruption, it is essential at European level to promote ethical standards common to all local and regional elected representatives. It is a question of both reducing the risk of corruption and boosting the public's confidence in local and regional policy-makers.
The European Code of Conduct for all Persons Involved in Local and Regional Governance takes into account the new challenges facing local authorities and is based on three observations: the need to extend its scope to all persons involved in the provision of public services; the opportunity offered by the digitalization of public services for more transparency while respecting private data; and the need to protect de facto whistleblowers of corruption.
*All references to Kosovo, whether the territory, institutions or population, in this text shall be understood in full compliance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 and without prejudice to the status of Kosovo.
