Irene Charalambides and Ville Itala, Director General of OLAF, Brussels, 18 January 2024COPENHAGEN, 19 January 2024 – OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Vice-President and Special Representative on Fighting Corruption Irene Charalambides (Cyprus) has wrapped up a visit to Brussels, where she held meetings with representatives of European Union institutions whose main objective is the fight against corruption. The two-day visit was intended to develop high-level partnerships with relevant international stakeholders on issues related to combating corruption and to promote a greater understanding of the security threats stemming from corruption, as well as the threats it poses to democracy.
On 17-18 January, Special Representative Charalambides held meetings with the Director General of the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), Ville Itälä; European delegated Prosecutor of the EU Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), Pascale Vanderweyer; the Cabinet Expert at Directorate General for Justice, Luc de Lobel; Member of Cabinet of the Commissioner for Values and Transparency, Alvaro de Elera; and Jeroen Blomsma, Head of the Anti-Corruption Sector at the EU’s Directorate-General for Home Affairs.
In discussions, Charalambides referred to the role of the OSCE PA and to her responsibilities as a Special Representative in the field of preventing and fighting corruption. She explained that the OSCE PA, as an organization in which security challenges are at the center of its work, focuses on the interconnection between corruption with stability, security and democracy, as well as the correlation of corruption with money laundering issues and the financing of terrorism.
Charalambides also underlined the significance of co-operation between international organizations active in the field of combating corruption and in particular the need to strengthen the synergies between the OSCE PA with EU institutions. In this context, all her interlocutors expressed the desire to strengthen co-operation and underscored its added value.
“Corruption is made possible by a lack of transparency and integrity in public institutions, and to prevent it, a multi-pronged approach is needed,” Charalambides said. “To be effective, this approach must include strengthening accountability mechanisms and building partnerships with international organizations.”
The Special Representative on Fighting Corruption also focused on the report on the rule of law issued by the European Commission, noting it is a powerful tool for promoting reforms that enhance transparency and accountability of state institutions. Her interlocutors emphasized that the report on the rule of law has significant contribution in reversing trends of democratic backsliding.
In addition, views were exchanged on a range of other issues such as the risks of corruption in the green transition and in the defence industry, the significance of asset recovery and the challenges presented by the use of cryptocurrencies and advances in artificial intelligence. Broader issues that threaten the rule of law were also discussed, such as interference of electoral processes through the circulation of fake news mainly on social media.
For more information on the work of the OSCE PA Special Representative on Fighting Corruption, please click here.
