Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2011-09-14-Speech-3-537-000"
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"en.20110914.31.3-537-000"2
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"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, you have had a very interesting debate which confirms the importance of the issue we have discussed today, not only on a financial level but above all on something which I think is much more important – a loss of trust between those in government and the citizens. This trust is something which is essential in order to have any real influence on public life, not only through the force of law, but above all by applying that law.
On two occasions I stressed the need for transparency in areas particularly susceptible to corruption. If we spread ourselves over too many areas we will probably be much less effective. We should focus on what clearly emerged from the first report on the dominant areas – not only dominant from a subjective point of view, but also in the opinion of experts and scientists, presented in a measured and standardised way – comparing Member States in selected areas susceptible to corruption.
Now for the matter of implementing anti-corruption legislation. It really is shameful that some Member States are delaying its introduction and the Council should certainly bring to their attention the necessity of completing their work in this area. However, on the other hand I am a realist, and the introduction of European legislation into national law will not solve the problem. The solution is to be found in the effective appliction of this legislation. We know from the indicators we currently use that sometimes countries which have introduced the full range of legislation are not at all safe from the disease of corruption. Effective application of the law, including in the dimension of international cooperation, both among police forces and judicial systems, are essential if we are to make any significant progress.
Concerning transparency of sanctions, if we are not equally transparent in enforcing the consequences of breaches of the law on corruption, any dialogue between those in government and the citizens will be incomplete.
There is one more very important matter: sharing good practice amongst Member States. Corruption is not equally severe in different areas of the European Union and this is why it is possible to transfer good practice from one country to another; it is just a question of perseverance and consistency.
The final matter which I stressed was that of the confiscation of property acquired through corruption. This matter, which relates not only to corruption but also to other forms of organised crime, is also not a strong point among Member States, and it is well-known that this delay in something which was expected a lot sooner is still causing a lot of debate.
To sum up, the Council will attempt to mobilise those Member States which have delays in their legislative procedures to make up the time and, by sharing common achievements, to reduce the level of corruption, especially in those areas which are particularly susceptible."@en1
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