According to experts from the Council of Europe, Germany is not doing enough to fight corruption. So far, only one of fourteen recommendations made by the anti-corruption body Greco in 2020 has been satisfactorily implemented, according to a report presented in Strasbourg on Thursday.
More transparency in legislation called for
For example, the committee recommended making legislative processes more transparent and making the influence of lobbyists clearer. It was said that this had not been implemented. It is also regrettable that there are still no stricter rules for politicians moving to the private sector, for example longer waiting periods. More transparency with regard to the financial interests of the federal ministers is also desirable. There was praise for the introduction of the lobby register in the Bundestag, but there should be more information about the purpose of contacts with lobbyists. The Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption was founded in 1999 and has a total of 50 member states whose commitment in the fight against corruption is assessed at regular intervals. Greco will assess the German implementation of the recommendations in 2024.
Editor beck-aktuell, March 16, 2023 (dpa).