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| EU states agree on definition of corruption for companies and individuals |
| Brusel, 22.04.2026 |
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| EU member states (the Council of the EU) on Tuesday finally approved a new EU law that harmonises the definition of corruption in the eurozone member states and sets a common level of penalties for such crimes for individuals and companies. TASR's correspondent reports.
Thanks to measures to prevent corruption and rules to strengthen investigation and prosecution, the new EU-wide law will strengthen the fight against corruption in both the public and private sectors.
The European Commission warned in 2014 that corruption costs the EU economy 120 billion euros per year, which at the time was almost equal to the EU's annual budget. An analysis prepared by the European Parliament (EP) in 2023 warned that joint measures at EU level in the fight against corruption should reach up to 58.5 billion euros per year in the form of social and economic benefits. The EP Research Service reported in 2016 that, when the indirect costs of corruption are included, the EU’s GDP suffers annual losses of between €179 and €990 billion. These figures (€179 and €990 billion per year) have subsequently been used by several EP political groups in their anti-corruption initiatives.
The EU Council pointed out that the new directive will replace two existing pieces of EU legislation: a 2003 law on corruption in the private sector and the 1997 EU Convention on Corruption, which also applies to officials of EU institutions and officials of EU Member States.
The new rules ensure that the core corruption offences are defined and dealt with in a similar way across the EU. These include bribery in the public and private sectors, embezzlement, trading in influence, obstruction of justice, personal enrichment through corruption offences, concealment and certain serious breaches of the unlawful exercise of public office.
Under the new EU rules, member states must set common minimum levels of penalties for corruption offences and ensure that maximum penalties are not set too low.
Offenders can face prison sentences of between three and five years, depending on the offence. Companies will also face sanctions, with fines ranging from 3% to 5% of their global turnover or from €24 million to €40 million, depending on the offence.
EU member states will have to set up specialised bodies to prevent corruption and raise public awareness of corruption, thereby creating a culture of integrity.
The EU is a party to the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), the most comprehensive international legal instrument in this area. The Directive updates the existing EU legislative framework and will incorporate international standards that are binding on the EU, such as those set out in the UNCAC.
The Directive will enter into force 20 days after its publication in the Official Journal of the EU. Member States will have 24 months to transpose the Directive into national law. An exception applies to the provisions on risk assessment and national strategies, for which the deadline is 36 months.
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