Maltese MEPs hail EU anti-corruption law as milestone for business transparency

The European Parliament has approved the EU’s first anti-corruption directive, marking a significant step towards harmonising how corruption is defined, prosecuted, and prevented across Member States.

The legislation introduces common standards for offences such as bribery, misappropriation, and abuse of functions, while also establishing binding rules on penalties and limitation periods. It also includes a prevention package, obliging Member States to adopt additional safeguards aimed at reducing corruption risks.

EU countries will now be required to align their national legal frameworks with the directive, including updating criminal laws to explicitly codify offences linked to the abuse of power.

Maltese MEP Peter Agius described the move as a long-awaited development.

“The crocodile is finally growing some teeth… the EU now has its first anti-corruption law,” he said. “It’s a Directive depending on implementation by Member States. It will require alignment of approaches over time. This now gives us a strong reference point, eventually also an important tool in the hands of advocates of good governance in Member States.”

The directive was announced on Thursday by MEP David Casa, who served as lead negotiator on behalf of the European People’s Party (EPP) Group.

“We have given the Commission an objective toolkit to assess how Member States fight corruption,” Casa said. “This is a fundamental rule of law concern, and I expect the Commission to treat it as such.”

The push for harmonisation comes against a backdrop of persistently high public concern about corruption across the bloc. Eurobarometer data shows that 69 per cent of Europeans believe corruption is widespread in their country.

In Malta, the perception is even more pronounced. A 2024 Special Eurobarometer survey found that approximately 95 per cent of Maltese respondents believe corruption is widespread, up from 92 per cent in 2023.

Casa noted that the directive was passed despite resistance from the EU Council, underlining the political sensitivity of the issue.

“This vote sends a clear and powerful message that corruption is not the norm, and that we will not accept corrupt politicians covering for one another,” he said.

He also drew a direct link to Malta’s recent history, referencing the public inquiry into the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia.

“The public inquiry called on the government to introduce laws against the abuse of power. Like many other elements in that inquiry, the call fell on deaf ears. But now, because of this directive, the government will have to act,” Casa said.

Attention will now shift to implementation, as Member States begin the process of transposing the directive into national law.

“Our focus will now shift to enforcement, ensuring that all EU Member States transpose the directive correctly into national law to guarantee it functions effectively in practice,” Casa added.

He also urged policymakers, particularly in Malta, to go further than the minimum requirements set out by the directive.

“Politicians must go beyond the absolute minimum if we are serious about rebuilding public trust in our institutions,” he said.

The directive represents a shift towards a more unified European approach to tackling corruption, but its long-term impact will depend on how rigorously it is implemented at national level.