2024-04-22 09:08:23
People Read also
From the highest levels of power to local government, corruption is a recurring problem across the European Union, reducing the integrity of the public sector and eroding trust in institutions.
This week, Italy saw this common story when the Rome prosecutor’s office asked the conviction of former official for abuse of power .
Domenico Arcuri, who was the top official appointed to contain the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy, is facing allegations of abuse of power in relationship with the purchase and supply of substandard masks during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. He adamantly denies these allegations and has pleaded not guilty. Whether he is convicted or not, the current Italian government wants to make something of the past the possibility of accusing an individual of abuse of power.
Abuse of power is a form of corruption and is one of the offenses that countries should criminalize under the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), along with other offenses such as bribery, embezzlement and influence peddling .
The sad truth, however, is that Italy, like many other EU member states, faces a problem of impunity. The community recognizes this too. According to our Global Corruption Barometer Survey 2021 almost half of EU residents think their government is doing a bad job of fighting corruption, and only 21% think there are appropriate sanctions against corrupt officials.
There is a clear need for tougher sanctions for different types of corruption across the EU. Law enforcement should have more tools and measures to investigate and prosecute these crimes, not less.
If Italy were to abolish the crime of abuse of power, it would not only go against most EU member states – where civil servants can be accused of abuse of power in at least 25 of the 27 countries country – but this would also be contradictory. draft EU directive on fighting corruption.
The huge scandals that have been erupting in the EU in recent years – oh Azerbaijani laundromat to uber files Going around by Qatargate – show that corruption is a problem across the block.
Fortunately, progress appears to be underway. Last year, the European Commission proposed a dedicated anti-corruption directive, aimed at harmonizing anti-corruption legislation across all member states. This is certainly a promising first step towards closing gaps in the legal framework, which requires member states to criminalize offenses set out in the UNCAC and increase sanctions.
Further progress was made in February when the European Parliament adopted its own position, and some elements were introduced which we recommended – in particular tougher sanctions against perpetrators of corruption in the public sector and recognition of the aggravating circumstances when high-level officials are involved and higher penalties. It is essential that better recognition and protection is given to the victims of corruption and to the civil society organizations that represent them in court in the position of the Parliament. Additional preventive measures were also included in relation to lobbying and political financing.
There is however still to be improved .
Its position is still being negotiated by the European Council and it will be crucial to ensure that it does not erode the provisions of the European Commission’s initial proposal. When the final directive is negotiated later this year, we encourage decision-makers to include additional measures to end impunity and to expressly define gross corruption .
This would enable EU countries to fight more effectively against the most serious transnational bribery schemes involving high-level officials and those that lead to blatant misappropriation of public assets or violations of human rights.
Once the negotiations begin, we hope that European policy makers will seize the opportunity and take decisive action to raise anti-corruption standards and harmonize rules across the bloc. The public deserves a system that enables real progress and effectively prevents corrupt officials and their cronies from abusing power.
#Guiding #measures #needed #difficult #times #LACTUACHO.COM