TI Position

• Corruption is a major obstacle to development as it leads to considerable waste and misallocation of scarce resources.
  
• The EU must ensure that it demands high standards of integrity and accountability from all those that that receive EU development funds, including instiutions such as the IMF, WB, UN agencies and Regional Banks.
  
• EU development policy should be governed by the definition of ‘Good Governance’ as laid down in the Cotonou Agreement (Art 9): “Good Governance is the transparent and accountable management of human, natural, economic and financial resources for the purpose of equitable and sustainable development”.
  
• Development funds are particularly vulnerable to the quality of governance of partner countries. Therefore, an assessment of the corruption risk must be mainstreamed in EU development operations. The EU must pro-actively support specific anti-corruption measures that help countries in their efforts to strengthen the integrity of their institutions and legal and regulatory frameworks.
  
• To prevent corruption and achieve development effectiveness the EU must ensure a participatory civil society and an active and independent media. This is particularly important with regard to budget support operations where a strong domestic oversight is essential.

• The EU must drive forward initiatives that help to tackle corruption. Apart from the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), these include the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI), the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), and the International Tax Compact.

  Asset Recovery

• Global illicit financial flows represent a massive transfer of wealth out of poorer nations and as such fundamentally undermine poverty alleviation and sustainable development efforts in these countries. During the EU-Africa summit of 2000 in Cairo and again at the 2007 Joint Africa-EU Strategy in Lisbon, the EU 27 committed to take necessary measures to ensure that illegally acquired assets, including funds, are investigated and returned to their countries of origin. The EU must take a unified approach to asset recovery by which the EU and member states act swiftly and coherently, respecting their commitments to international standards above national concerns by supporting the restitution of stolen assets in line with UNCAC Chapter V, and the EU Third Directive (Directive 2005/60/EC). This will ensure that stolen assets are recovered and repatriated to their country of origin.

  Combating Corruption in Climate Finance Networks

• Under its Fast start financing scheme, the EU has committed to mobilising US$100 billion by 2020 to mitigate the challenges of climate change. TI EU seeks to ensure that this money achieves the highest possible impact by reducing any risk of resource misappropriation. As the EU finalises its budget for the period 2014 – 2020 it is vital to ensure that funding allocated to fight climate change is used accountably and efficiently. TI EU is advocating for strict regulation and transparency in EU climate finance networks, and the promotion of good governance in the climate change mitigation and adaptation projects which EU funding supports.

Agenda

• 15-16 December 2011: EU Development Days in Warsaw. Click here to read more about TI-EU's involvement

Written contributions

• 19 August 2011: TI contribution to EC consultation on a new Trade and Development Communication.
• March 2011: TI addendum to EC consultation on Budget Support - TI EU survey of TI National Chapters in Africa, Caribbean and Pacific countries which receive Budget Support
• January 2011: TI contribution to EC consultation on Budget Support.
• 31 March 2009: TI contribution to the EC consultation on environment integration in development cooperation. Click here to read the contribution.
• 11 July 2008: TI contribution to EC consultation on mainstreaming of cross-cutting themes. Click here to read the contribution.
• 16 June 2008: TI contribution to EC consultation on EU approach to democratic local governance, decentralisation and territorial development. Click here to read the contribution.