The President of the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO), David Meyer, moderated the session Responding to internal challenges at the Council of Europe conference Anticipating Democratic Security, which brought together Directors of Policy Planning (or their equivalents) from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the Council of Europe's member States.

The conference builds on the 2024 and 2025 editions of the meetings of Directors of Policy Planning and explores how the Council of Europe can better anticipate and respond to emerging threats to democratic security.

Opening the session, Mr Meyer underlined that the greatest threats to democracy often emerge from within institutions through the gradual erosion of integrity, transparency and accountability. He underlined that corruption should be understood not only as a criminal offence, but also as a governance risk that undermines democratic resilience, weakens institutions and erodes public trust.

"Corruption is increasingly recognised as a democratic security challenge because it creates vulnerabilities that organised crime, vested interests and hostile foreign actors can readily exploit. Democratic resilience is built long before institutions come under attack. Integrity is not simply an ethical aspiration—it is the democratic infrastructure that enables institutions to withstand pressure, maintain public confidence and exercise power in the public interest.", he said.

Mr Meyer highlighted GRECO's contribution to strengthening democratic resilience through its system of peer evaluations and mutual monitoring. For more than 25 years, GRECO has supported its member States in identifying institutional vulnerabilities, recommending reforms and monitoring their implementation. He also referred to GRECO's ongoing Sixth Evaluation Round, which focuses on preventing corruption and promting integrity at the subnational level, recognising that many governance risks first emerge where decisions are taken closest to citizens.

The discussion examined how democratic institutions can better anticipate internal challenges, reinforce public integrity and preserve citizens' trust as an essential foundation of democratic security.