HSE University Anti-Corruption Portal
General Information
Anti-Corruption Track
Evaluation Mechanism

GRECO is an anti-corruption monitoring body established by the Council of Europe in 1999 to assist its members in improving the mechanisms for fighting corruption.

GRECO may have among its members not only the Council of Europe’s member states, but any other countries. In addition, a country that ratified the Council of Europe’s Criminal Law Convention on Corruption and/or Civil Law Convention on Corruption automatically joins GRECO and its evaluation mechanism. As of today, GRECO counts 49 member states. At present, Russia is not a member of the organization.

The Bureau is GRECO’s highest executive body. It is run by the President. The President, the Vice-President and the members of the Bureau are elected in its plenary meeting for a two-year term. The incumbent President is Marin Mrčela from Croatia.

GRECO is headquartered in Strasbourg. Its plenary meetings and the meetings of the Bureau are held four times a year.

GRECO’s activities are primarily focused on the implementation of the two anti-corruption conventions of the Council of Europe: the Criminal Law Convention on Corruption and the Civil Law Convention on Corruption. In accordance with the Statute of GRECO, any country that has signed or ratified at least one of these conventions automatically becomes a member of the body and makes the commitment to participating in the GRECO evaluation procedures.

The Criminal Law Convention on Corruption is ratified by 46 countries, meanwhile 2 countries have signed but not ratified it yet. The Civil Law Convention on Corruption is ratified by 34 countries, 7 other countries have signed but nor ratified it yet.

In addition to the conventions GRECO seeks to ensure the implementation of a number of other anti-corruption documents, such as the Twenty Guiding Principles on the Fight against Corruption.

The GRECO evaluation procedure consists of several stages or rounds. Each round is focused on a specific topic.

The evaluation within each round includes two stages. In the framework of the first stage the evaluated country fills in a model questionnaire that provides general information on the implementation of specific anti-corruption measures. After that GRECO organizes an on-site visit of an evaluation team to the evaluated country. In the course of the visit the team meets representatives of national competent authorities. After the visit the team prepares a draft report containing, among other things, recommendations on the elimination of the detected flaws. The draft report is discussed, amended and adopted in a GRECO plenary meeting.

In the framework of the second stage the implementation of the recommendations is monitored. 18 months after that the evaluated country submits to GRECO a report where it outlines the measures that have been adopted in order to implement each recommendation. If the recommendations are not fully implemented, GRECO makes an additional assessment within the following 18 months. The states that deliver unsatisfactory results in the implementation of recommendations can be subject to a resolution of non-compliance.

The evaluation reports for all countries are available here.

GRECO members
Documents
Criminal Law Convention on Corruption

The Criminal Law Convention on Corruption is a comprehensive document designed to coordinate the efforts of the states parties in the criminalization of corruption-related offences. The Convention also provides for the introduction of additional measures in criminal laws and the advancement of international cooperation in the investigation of corruption-related crimes.

Civil Law Convention on Corruption

The Convention constitutes the first attempt to unify general international provisions in the area of civil law and corruption. It demands that its parties “provide in their internal law for persons who have suffered damage as a result of corruption to have the right to initiate an action in order to obtain full compensation for such damage”. The Convention is divided into three chapters that cover the measures to be taken at national level, international cooperation and monitoring of implementation and final clauses.

Additional Protocol to the Criminal Law Convention on Corruption

This Protocol extends the Convention on arbitrators in commercial, civil and other disputes and on jurors thereby complementing the provisions of the Convention designed to protect judicial bodies from corruption. The parties to the Convention should take necessary measures to consider active and passive bribery of domestic and foreign arbitrators and jurors as criminal offences.

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Resolution (97)24 on the Twenty Guiding Principles for the Fight against Corruption

The resolution was adopted by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in November 1997 in its 101th session and aims to promote a dynamic process of effective prevention of and fight against corruption. The adopted principles provide for a stronger public awareness, better investigation and prosecution, identification of focal points specializing in the fight against corruption as well as enhanced international cooperation.

Recommendation No. R(2000)10 of the Committee of Ministers on codes of conduct for public officials

The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe recommends that the governments of member states promote, subject to national law and the principles of public administration, the adoption of national codes of conduct for public officials based on the model code of conduct for public officials annexed to the Recommendation.

Recommendation Rec(2003)4 of the Committee of Ministers on common rules against corruption in the funding of political parties and electoral campaigns

The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe recommends that the governments of member states adopt, in their national legal systems, rules against corruption in the funding of political parties and electoral campaigns which are inspired by the common rules reproduced in the appendix to the Recommendation.

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