Round Table June 17 2021 Combating and Preventing Corruption/EU Policy

To all who took part,

On behalf of CEIPA, I wish to thank you very much for your participation in the CEIPA ZOOM conference  on “Corruption inside-out – Fraud, bribery, and misuse of EU funds: a call for transparency, accountability, proper scrutiny and sanctions” which took place on June 17th, 2021.

Your participation has encouraged us to continue working on issues in need of fresh ideas and approaches.
CEIPA will be honored to have you as a participant at the next event planned for Autumn of this year focusing on EU’s foreign policy.

The video of the event, in full, is below. We welcome our feedback and comments.

While wishing you a nice weekend,

I remain with best regards

Peter von Bethlenfalvy
Executive Director
CEIPA

 


17th June 2021

from 2pm to 4pm CET

on the ZOOM Platform

 

Corruption Inside-out – Fraud, bribery, and misuse of EU funds: a call for transparency, accountability, proper scrutiny and sanctions

The Centre for European and International Policy Action, CEIPA, invites you to join the Zoom Video Conference on the 17 June 2021 to engage in a lively debate with EU policymakers, journalists, and experts about current anti-fraud schemes and the call for transparency, accountability, proper scrutiny and sanctions.

Topics for discussion include:

  • Are corruption, fraud and misuse of European subsidies hampering economic growth and diminishing citizens’ trust in the European project?
  •  Are political leaders and decision-makers determined to prevent further corruption, fraud, and the misuse of European funds?
  •  What are the incentives provided by the European Union to prevent the misuse of EU funds on the national level ?
  • Are the European Institutions well equipped to combat corruption and fraud through effective and long-lasting sanctions?
  • Can future reforms of major EU instruments such as the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) prevent further fraud and corruption?
  • How can the new CAP improve transparency and EU oversight?
  • What are the policies and practices of the European Institutions and Agencies such as the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, OLAF, EUROPOL, EUROJUST, and national authorities entrusted with fighting corruption in curtailing the misuse of EU funds?
  • What are the steps the national governments have to undertake in order to make the new initiative of the European Commission effective in protecting whistle-blowers and journalists reporting on corruption and misuse of EU funds ?
  • What new safeguards and legislative frameworks does Europe urgently need in order to protect investigative journalists in Europe from intimidation, harassment, blackmail and physical harm?
  • Is the sanctioning of fraudulent public institutions, national governments, and oligarchs by the European Commission and EU bodies such as the European Public Prosecutors Office feasible?
  • In what way is the EU whistle-blower protection directive helping to keep safe investigative journalists and whistle-blowers who are in countries where they may be exposed to severe sanctions or life-threatening circumstances?

Further Reading and Information:

Commissioner Johansson’s video message at the UN General Assembly Special Session against Corruption, 2-4 June, New York | European Commission (europa.eu)

Transparency International, Global Corruption Barometer, European Union 2021 – Citizens’ Views and Experiences of Corruption 

Financial Times – Fraud Chief Warns of ‘Big Risk’ in Policing €800bn EU Recovery Funds

More information on the topics for discussion can be found here.

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List of panelists

Introductory Statement:

Patsy Sörensen, Former member of the European Parliament Governing Board CEIPA

Distinguished Panelists in alphabetical order:

Alicia Clegg , Journalist Freelance Writer Financial Times The Guardian London

Professor Pascale Hélène Dubois Georgetown University Law Center Former World Bank’s Chief Suspension and Debarment Officer (SDO), USA

Daniel Freund Member of the European Parliament Berlin Brussels

Pavla Holcová Journalist Editor in Chief Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project OCCRP Prague

See also here short CV’s of the Panelists

 

Peter Josef von Bethlenfalvy
Executive Director