Council of Europe: GRECO’s report on the prevention of corruption among members of Parliament, judges and prosecutors in Italy has been published

The Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) has published a report which concludes that Italy has made progress to prevent corruption in respect of the judiciary, but significantly more is still needed to comply with all its recommendations, in particular those concerning parliamentarians.

Italy has implemented satisfactorily only three of the twelve recommendations contained in the Fourth Round Evaluation Report on the prevention of corruption in respect of members of Parliament, judges and prosecutors. Four recommendations have not been implemented and five only partially.

GRECO regrets the delays in implementing its recommendations concerning corruption prevention in respect of members of parliament. In the previous legislature, GRECO states, there were positive steps taken which now await resumption by the new legislature elected in 2018.

With regard to lobbying, GRECO welcomes the development of a mandatory register in the Chamber of Deputies, although additional measures are required. The Senate has yet to embark on a similar path to promote integrity among its members.

More progress has been achieved in corruption prevention measures concerning the judiciary. A reform of the justice sector launched in 2016 has the potential to improve the efficiency of both civil and criminal law trials. The reform has operated on different fronts regarding for example, appellate remedies, decriminalisation of minor offences and expedited procedures, alternative dispute mechanisms, organisation of courts, digitalisation of case management, etc.

GRECO has invited the Italy authorities to submit additional information regarding the implementation of the pending recommendations by 30 June 2020.

The full version of GRECO's report is available at the link below.