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GRECO News - No. 6| March - April - 2021
INFOLETTRE EN FRANCAIS
The resilience of GRECO through the crisis
Foreword by Christos Giakoumopoulos, Director General (DIrectorate General of Human Rights and Rule of Law - DG1)
The publication of GRECO’s new General Activity Report is always a good moment to look back on a year of anti-corruption action and identify emerging trends. As we all know, 2020 has turned out to be no ordinary year. It has come with a global pandemic that has turned everything on its head. The pandemic has also meant that GRECO’s normal work has been disrupted in 2020, with on-site visits being rendered impossible.

I am proud to say that GRECO has nevertheless risen to the challenge, as illustrated by the adoption of the many reports on corruption prevention that have contributed to keeping the anti-corruption flame going in its member states. The General Activity Report reflects this positive output and also provides other useful information, such as an update on GRECO’s findings on prevention directed at persons with top executive functions (i.e. ministers, top government officials and presidents involved in day-to-day executive decisions) and law enforcement agencies, with examples of good practice being highlighted. You will also find statistics by country on the implementation of GRECO’s recommendations. In addition, there is a feature article by Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders (European Commission), as a testimony to GRECO’s ever closer cooperation with EU institutions to combat corruption on the continent, and further confirmed by the EU’s recently acquired observer status with GRECO.

I am confident that you will find in GRECO’s General Activity Report not only a good snapshot of the situation in its member states but a source of useful information which in turn will make you want to dig deeper into its country reports. The ongoing year has so far turned out equally challenging, but the General Activity Report demonstrates clearly that GRECO can weather the storm and stay as steadfast as ever in fighting corruption in all its member states also in times of crisis.
GRECO publishes its 2020 annual report
The President of GRECO addressed the Committee of Ministers at the annual exchange of views and presented GRECO’s 2020 General Activity Report on anti-
corruption trends, challenges and good practices. The General Activity Report was published on 15 April 2021 and generated extensive media coverage across the GRECO membership.

In this report, GRECO also urges states to prevent corruption risks in measures aimed at tackling the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. GRECO President Marin Mrčela calls on states to closely follow the guidelines issued by GRECO in 2020 to prevent corruption risks in the context of the pandemic. “It is crucial that, in state of emergency situations, all decisions and procedures are designed with transparency, integrity and accountability”, he said.
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LATEST REPORTS ADOPTED
- North Macedonia: Compliance Report (5th Evaluation round)
- Iceland: Second Addendum to Second Compliance Report (4th Evaluation Round)
- Georgia: Second Compliance report (4th Evaluation Round
- Portugal: Second Interim Compliance Report (4th Evaluation Round)
- United States of America: Second Compliance Report (4th Evaluation Round)
- Estonia: Compliance Report (5th Evaluation Round)
- Italy: Second Compliance Report (4th Evaluation Round)
Forthcoming GRECO Plenary and Evaluation visits
GRECO will hold its 88th Plenary Meeting  during the week of 20 September 2021. Compliance Reports on 12 Member States are to be examined and adopted.
The GRECO Bureau met online in April and agreed on a tentative visit calendar for mid-2021, conditions permitting.
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