The Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) released its annual report for 2024, which acknowledges positive reforms in some countries, but expresses serious concerns about persistent threats to judicial independence in some member states.

In general, the annual report urges countries to implement legislative reforms that close loopholes in the transparency of political funding and calls for amendments that set up stronger enforcement mechanisms and deterrent sanctions for violations of political financing rules. GRECO cited developments in recent years that have shown how existing anti-corruption standards on party and electoral campaign financing are inadequate.

The annual report provides a comprehensive analysis of progress made and shortcomings identified so far in GRECO’s fifth evaluation round on promoting integrity and preventing corruption within top executive functions and law enforcement agencies.

According to the analysis, the area where the most progress has been achieved so far is access to information and transparency. Conversely, GRECO found that progress has been slowest regarding integrity checks, post-employment restrictions, declaration review mechanisms, and other measures related to top executive functions. Similarly, the most challenging areas for corruption prevention in law enforcement agencies include integrity checks, declarations of assets and interests, rotation and mobility policy, recruitment requirements, and appointment procedures.

In total, the general level of compliance with GRECO’s fifth evaluation round recommendations continued to be insufficient. Specifically, only 63% of GRECO’s recommendations concerning top executive functions have been fully or partially implemented.

The report noted that GRECO launched its sixth evaluation round in March 2025, focusing on preventing corruption and promoting integrity in local and regional authorities.

The Annual Report of  GRECO for 2024 is available here