European parliament adopts 'historic' anti-corruption law
Directive passed despite significant resistance from the Council of the European Union
The European Parliament on Thursday adopted an anti-corruption law to prevent and combat corruption across the Union.
Dutch MEP Raquel García Hermida-van der Walle, the Parliament’s chief negotiator, called the vote “historic”, saying that “this law is a much-needed remedy for that rot at the heart of our society.”
PN MEP David Casa negotiated on it on behalf of the EPP Group.
The new legislative framework introduces stringent, unified standards across all states. It establishes rules on statutes of limitations and penalties, introduces a comprehensive prevention package, and provides a legal basis for the European Commission to evaluate how effectively individual member states combat corruption.
“For the first time, we have given the Commission an objective toolkit to assess how Member States fight corruption. This is a fundamental rule of law concern, and I expect the Commission to treat it as such," Casa said.
The directive passed despite significant resistance from the Council of the European Union, which represents member state governments.
“This directive is the result of difficult negotiations against a recalcitrant Council. But we did not give in,” Casa told the plenary.
“This vote sends a clear and powerful message that corruption is not the norm, and that we will not accept corrupt politicians covering for one another.”
The legislation will have implications for national legal frameworks, including in Malta, where the government is now legally obliged to update its criminal statutes to codify offences related to the abuse of power.
“The public inquiry following the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia called on the government to introduce laws against the abuse of power. Like many other elements in that inquiry, the call fell on deaf ears,” Casa said.
“But now, because of this directive, the government will have to act. We will see a strengthening of our criminal statutes.”
With the directive now approved by parliament, the timeline for implementation is set to begin following its signing into law.