The European Union (EU) has moved a step closer in its plans to introduce new rules meant to harmonize how member states tackle corruption, as well as how EU institutions and agencies such as Europol, Eurojust, and the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) work together to protect the bloc’s budget and combat corporate crime.
Experts say the directive—approved at the first stage by the European Parliament on 26 March—will address serious holes in Europe’s general attitude to anti-bribery investigations and enforcement, which is often regarded as slow, weak, and ineffectual. Some have even suggested that the EU’s lax approach to prosecuting companies for bribery and corruption offenses may be a factor in President Trump’s decision to dial down the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) investigations into U.S. companies for alleged similar wrongdoing.
