2023 NCPA Presidency, 18 January 2023

On Friday, January 13, 2023, National Transparency Authority of Greece (NTA-GR) organized a meeting with the Commission for Conflict of Interest of Croatia, which is the new Presiding Authority of the Network of Corruption Prevention Authorities of the Council of Europe (NCPA) for 2023, and the Steering Committee members, to hand them the Chair of the Network.

Regarding the Elections for 2023 NCPA Presidency and after the candidatures submitted, the Commission for Conflict of Interest of Croatia has been elected for the Chair of the Network while the National Transparency Authority of Greece (NTA), the National Authority for Probity, Prevention and Fight against Corruption (INPPLC) of Morocco and the Office of the Comptroller General of Ecuador as Vice Chairs. The Palestinian Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC), the Agence Francaise Anti-Corruption (AFA-FR), the Autorità Nazionale Anticorruzione (ANAC-IT) and the Agency for Prevention of Corruption of Serbia (ACAS-RS) have been elected as members of the Steering Committee.

The members of the Network endorsed the composition of the new steering scheme.

The fourth and last plenary meeting (for 2022) of the Network, under the Chair of the Hellenic National Transparency Authority (NTA), took place (virtually) on Monday, December 5th, 2022, with the participation of the representatives of the members and partners of the Network. The reporting on the Network’s annual activities, as well as on the pending release of the 1st and 3rd Guides (and Annual Report) were discussed. The final format of the Guides and Annual Report is going to be released within the first days of 2023.

The NTA would like to congratulate the Commission for Conflict of Interest of Croatia for undertaking the Chair of the Network and thank all the members for their active participation in sharing good practices in the field of corruption prevention throughout 2022.

4th Webinar on Tackling Corruption in Public Procurement, 15 December 2022

The fourth international webinar on “Tackling Corruption in Public Procurement” was successfully held on Thursday December 15th, 2022, within the framework of the implementation of the NCPA Annual Workplan, under the Chair of the Hellenic National Transparency Authority (NTA). The fourth webinar concludes the series of the webinars of the first pillar of the workplan aimed at enhancing public integrity.

As public procurement is identified as one of the most corruption prone government activities, met almost in every country, the webinar attracted more than 100 participants that attended.
Representing the Chair of the Network, Mr. Ioannis Foustanakis, NTA Head of Directorate for the Strategic Planning and Behavioral Analysis, opened the proceedings of the conference.
During the first part of the webinar, representatives from the European Court of Auditors, OECD-MAPS and Members-Authorities (HSPPA-GR, HCPPP-PS, ANAC-IT) explained their mandate and competences in combating fraud in public procurement as well as their initiatives and measures undertaken to tackle corruption in public procurement.

In the second part of the webinar, the participants, had the opportunity to pose questions on the operational aspects of the monitoring and assessment tools and to comment on the selected case studies.

The event was coordinated by Mr. Christos Spiliotopoulos, Head of Greek AFCOS Audits Subsector, NTA representative (GR).

3RD WEBINAR ON TACKLING CORRUPTION IN SPORTS, 15 DECEMBER 2022

The fourth international webinar on “Tackling Corruption in Public Procurement” was successfully held on Thursday December 15th, 2022, within the framework of the implementation of the NCPA Annual Workplan, under the Chair of the Hellenic National Transparency Authority (NTA). The fourth webinar concludes the series of the webinars of the first pillar of the workplan aimed at enhancing public integrity. 

As public procurement is identified as one of the most corruption prone government activities, met almost in every country, the webinar attracted more than 100 participants that attended. 

Representing the Chair of the Network, Mr. Ioannis Foustanakis, NTA Head of Directorate for the Strategic Planning and Behavioral Analysis, opened the proceedings of the conference. 

During the first part of the webinar, representatives from the European Court of Auditors, OECD-MAPS and Members-Authorities (HSPPA-GR, HCPP-PS, ANAC-IT) explained their mandate and competences in combating fraud in public procurement as well as their initiatives and measures undertaken to tackle corruption in public procurement. 

In the second part of the webinar, the participants, had the opportunity to pose questions on the operational aspects of the monitoring and assessment tools and to comment on the selected case studies.
 
The event was coordinated by Mr. Christos Spiliotopoulos, Head of Greek AFCOS Audits Subsector, NTA representative (GR). 

3rd Plenary Meeting of the NCPA Network, 6 September 2022

The third plenary meeting of the Network of Corruption Prevention Authorities (NCPA) took place (virtually) on Tuesday September 6th, 2022, under the Chair of the Hellenic National Transparency Authority (NTA) with the participation of the representatives of the members and partners of the Network. The progress of the implementation of the annual action plan of the Network was the main item of the agenda along with the accession of two new members to the Network, the newly established Anti-Corruption Authority of Cyprus and the Anti-Corruption Authority of Valencia, Spain.

The plenary session was welcomed by Ms. Alexandra Rogakou, NTA Acting Governor and Head of the Inspections and Audits Unit.

The representatives of the Coordinating Authorities of the Network's Working Groups informed the Plenary on the progress achieved in the four distinct pillars of the annual programme: (i) Organisation of Webinars on specialised topics to strengthen Public Integrity (ii) Publication of Practical Guides and Tools in the field of corruption prevention (iii) Organisation of Joint Missions to provide expertise and on-site assistance to Network members; and (iv) Actions to strengthen the extroversion of the NCPA. The Plenary welcomed the new members of the Network and their representatives presented the mission and competences of their Authorities.

Finally, the members agreed on the next steps in the implementation of the Actions with the aim of sharing good practices in the field of corruption prevention and exchanging expertise in the development of national anti-corruption strategies.

2nd Webinar on Whistleblowing, 15 June 2022

The second international webinar on «Designing and Implementing Effective Whistleblowers Protection Systems» was successfully held on Wednesday June 15th, 2022, within the framework of the implementation of the NCPA Annual Workplan under the Chair of the Hellenic National Transparency Authority (NTA).

Whistleblowers protection is an issue of global concern and this was reflected in the wide geographical distribution of the attendees. The webinar was attended by more than 100 participants, representatives of the Authorities of the Network as well as Anti-Corruption practitioners from Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America.

The introductory remarks were addressed by Mr. Ioannis Foustanakis representing the Chair of the Network.
During the first part of the webinar prominent speakers, representing the European Union, the Anticorruption Authorities of Italy, Moldova, Palestine, Romania, South Africa and Regional Anticorruption Initiative presented the European Directive as well as their experiences at national and regional level on the regulation of the Whistleblower Protection Framework. In the second part, participants had the opportunity to discuss the challenges and opportunities related to the practical implementation of the regulatory framework and to evaluate case studies for the effective integration of these provisions in the context of national legal systems and the practical response to the implementation challenges.

2nd Plenary Meeting of the NCPA Network, 11 May 2022

The second plenary meeting of the International Network of Corruption Prevention Authorities (NCPA) took place (virtually) on Tuesday May 10th, 2022, under the Chair of the Hellenic National Transparency Authority (NTA) with the participation of 22 representatives of the members and partners of the Network. The progress of the implementation of the annual action plan of the Network was the main item of the agenda.

The coordinators of the NCPA Working Groups, noted the consistency with the timeline of the workplan and informed the Plenary on the recent developments on the following thematic areas: i) Organization of webinars on specific topics for enhancing public integrity ii) Guides on corruption prevention related areas iii) Organization of joint field missions and iv) Communication and visibility initiatives.

NCPA members discussed further on the implementation progress of the Annual Workplan and agreed on a concrete implementation roadmap, highlighted the progress achieved so far in implementing activities that enhance the operational capacity of the Network through sharing good practices and exchanging know-how in the field of corruption prevention. Furthermore, they stressed the importance of systematic co-ordination and monitoring as key factors for the successful implementation.

1st Webinar on Lobbying, 15 March 2022

The first international webinar on «Trends and Challenges in Regulating Lobbying Activities» was successfully held on Tuesday March 15th, 2022, within the framework of the implementation of the NCPA Annual Workplan under the Chair of the Hellenic National Transparency Authority (NTA). The webinar was attended by representatives of the Authorities of the Network as well as by representatives of the public sector, business associations and the Academia.

The introductory remarks were addressed by the Chair of the Network, Mr. Angelos Binis along with a short greeting addressed by Mr. Simon Peh, President of the International Association of Anticorruption Authorities (IAACA).

During the first part of the webinar prominent speakers, representing the OECD, the Anticorruption Authorities of Greece and Serbia and the Authority of Lobbying of Quebec, Canada, presented the international standards on Lobbying, recent developments in the field and shared lessons learnt and good practices from their experience in regulating lobbying activities. In the second part, the participants had the opportunity to pose questions and discuss on practical aspects concerning the design and implementation of lobbying policies.

1st Plenary Meeting of the NCPA Network for 2022, 8 February 2022

The first plenary meeting of the Network of Corruption Prevention Authorities (NCPA), took place on Tuesday, February 8th 2022, under the Chair of the Hellenic National Transparency Authority (NTA). The approval of the annual action plan of the Network was the main item of the agenda.

The discussion focused on the following four thematic areas:
i) Organization of webinars on specific topics for enhancing public integrity
ii) Guides on corruption prevention related areas
iii) Organization of joint field mission and provision of on-site assistance to NCPA members and
iv) Actions on strengthening communication and visibility of NCPA.

The members of the NCPA endorsed the proposed activities and agreed on concrete steps for the finalization of the actions and the start of the implementation phase.

The NCPA’s second anniversary: celebrating two years of cooperation against corruption

On 16 October 2018, the Declaration for a Network of Corruption Prevention Authorities was opened to signature in Šibenik, Croatia. Gathered by a high-level conference of the Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption (GRECO), 17 leaders of anti-corruption bodies signed this Declaration, in which they pledged to build a new international network. The NCPA was hence launched, with a view to strengthening peer-to-peer cooperation to better detect and prevent corruption around the world.

Today, two years later, the NCPA has become a vibrant global network dedicated to exchanging information, sharing good practices, and finding concrete solutions to address corruption more effectively. First presided by the Italian Anti-Corruption Authority (ANAC) in 2019, and now by the French Anti-Corruption Agency (AFA), the Network has rapidly expanded its outreach and consolidated its activities.

Starting with 17 agencies mostly from the European continent, the NCPA currently brings together 29 member authorities, 1 observer and 4 affiliated partners from various regions of the world and different sectors of society. Indeed, cooperation between national public bodies and multiple stakeholders has been developed through the establishment of valuable working relations.

Since 2018, seven plenary meetings and several other events have been held by the NCPA, providing a wealth of opportunities for operational discussions between prominent anti-corruption practitioners. Moreover, many publications and resources have been made available online, such as the technical guide on codes of conduct or the global mapping of anti-corruption authorities. Benefiting from the continuous support of the Council of Europe, the Network has been conducting numerous cooperation projects and promoting anti-corruption best standards.

In 2020, the NCPA celebrates two years of achievements in enhancing international cooperation against corruption. This second anniversary offers an occasion to take stock of the progress made and to plan the way forward. In these challenging times, the NCPA endeavors to keep working tirelessly, to keep connecting anti-corruption actors, remotely if necessary, and to keep pushing for a global culture of integrity. Today, as ever, the NCPA remains committed to spare no effort to fight corruption across the world.

Promoting a knowledge-based approach to business integrity

The NCPA is proud to announce its new partnership with the Program on Corporate Compliance and Enforcement (PCCE) of the New York University School of Law. PCCE is a law and research program dedicated to developing a richer and deeper understanding of the causes of corporate misconduct and the nature of effective enforcement and compliance. Through practical discourse and legal scholarship, PCCE seeks to help shape optimal enforcement policy, guide firms in developing more effective and robust compliance programs, and enhance education in the field of corporate compliance and enforcement.

Thanks to the exchange of ideas, experiences, and best practices between corruption prevention authorities and leading compliance experts, the NCPA endeavors to promote a knowledge-based approach to business integrity. As a matter of fact, by carrying out rigorous research, analysis, and evidence review, in close collaboration with its partners of PCCE and the Basel Institute on Governance, the NCPA aims at identifying and implementing constructive ways to prevent corruption in both public and private companies across the world.

Building bridges of integrity: New meaningful partnerships for the NCPA

The NCPA is proud to announce the recently established partnerships with the  Eastern Africa Association of Anti-Corruption (EAAACA) and the Basel Institute on Governance. These two entities allow NCPA to build a qualified institutional dialogue with additional agencies (from Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda) and sectors. In particular, the Basel Institute, an independent not-for-profit competence centre, brings-in direct experience of collective action and peer learning to promote good governance and fight to corruption (Read more). 

NCPA is committed to developing mutually beneficial actions with these two new partners, and look forward to welcome additional members and partners.

Corruption prevention must play a key role in the global response to COVID-19

Statement by the Network of Corruption Prevention Authorities (NCPA)

As indicated by GRECO’s President, the COVID-19 outbreak increases corruption risks because “countries face undeniable emergencies, concentration of power, derogation of rights and freedoms, and as large amounts of money are infused into the economy to alleviate the crisis corruption risks should not be underestimated”.

This global crisis demands a common response and coordinated solutions. Considering responses from international organizations – GRECO, OECD, UNODC, among others – and national anti-corruption agencies, we, members of the NCPA, strongly believe that prevention can and must play, an essential role in defusing the risk that the coronavirus pandemic will bring about a corruption pandemic. Therefore, both regulators and economic actors are called upon to seriously and expeditiously consider integrating qualified instruments of corruption prevention in their decision-making processes and operations including, but not limited to:

  • Enhanced transparency, for a regular and orderly publication and storage of relevant data, open to immediate and/or ex-post scrutiny of qualified anti-corruption authorities, professionals, engaged NGOs and other representatives of civil society, as well as all citizens, in order to strengthen trust in the integrity of decision-makers and institutions;
  • Simplified, fast-track procedures for public and private procurement, through the use of preliminary affidavits, paired with clauses of reinforced accountability and ex-post auditing;
  • Facilitated use of online portals, such as dedicated computer-based databanks, e-procurement platforms, conflict of interests’ hubs, open systems for whistleblowing and lobbying;
  • Reinforced and improved efforts to ensure whistleblowers’ support and protection.

These are just some of the tools for preventing corruption that may be used in a situation of emergency. They must be wisely selected and rapidly put in place, in light of previous experiences, early red flags from the market, as well as intelligence on organized crime gathered by domestic law enforcement agencies and foreign anti-corruption institutions.

17-18 October 2019, Tunis, Tunisia

The anti-corruption authorities of Jordan, Morocco, North Macedonia and Tunisia joined the Network of Corruption Prevention Authorities at the its meeting in Tunis held on 17-18 October 2019. In addition, the Tunisian Anti-corruption Authority (INLUCC) signed Memorandums of Understanding with its Moroccan and Jordanian counterparts. This meeting marks the enhancement of collaboration opportunities in the anti-corruption field with anti-corruption authorities in the MENA region by facilitating the exchange of anti-corruption good practices and establishing information exchange channels while also providing international exposure of anti-corruption agencies of the region.

For more information on this event, see here: link to the news.

15-16 October 2018, Sibenik, Croatia

The Network of Corruption Prevention Authorities was launched at the High Level Conference of the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) of the Council of Europe “Strengthening transparency and accountability to ensure integrity: united against corruption” held in Šibenik (Croatia) on 15-16 October 2018, to promote the systematic collection, management and exchange of information, intelligence and good practices between anti-corruption authorities. The corruption prevention agencies of 17 countries signed the founding Declaration, joining the Network, including Albania, Azerbaijan, Benin, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, France, Greece, Italy, Republic of Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Ukraine.

For more information on this event, see here: link to the news