The Council of Europe’s group of States against corruption (GRECO) criticized Italy for not implementing its anti-corruption recommendations and for not making any progress in combating bribery. This is reported by the Council of Europe on its official website.
Italy accepted only three of the twelve recommendations contained in the report on the prevention of corruption against deputies, judges and prosecutors. Four recommendations were not implemented by Italy and five were only partially implemented.
GRECO expressed particular concern about the delays in the implementation of its recommendations on the prevention of corruption among members of Parliament. At the moment, Italy is developing a mandatory register in the chamber of deputies, but, according to GRECO, additional measures are also required. The Senate has not yet adopted a similar practice.
More progress has been made in preventing corruption in the judiciary. The reform of the justice sector, launched in 2016, has the potential to improve the efficiency of both civil and criminal proceedings. The reform was carried out in various areas, for example in relation to the appeal remedy, the decriminalization of minor offenses and fast-track procedures, alternative dispute resolution mechanisms, the organization of the courts, the digitization of administration, etc.
GRECO asked the Italian authorities to provide information on the implementation of the recommendations not yet implemented by 30 June 2020.
