Today, the European Parliament approved the EU’s first-ever law to combat corruption. The new Anti-Corruption Directive establishes binding minimum definitions for nine criminal offenses – including bribery, embezzlement, and abuse of influence – across all member states.

Under the new rules, the European Commission and the Court of Justice of the EU will have the power to verify whether countries are enforcing these standards. Member states will no longer be able to roll back the agreed-upon minimum protections. For example, Italy’s Prime Minister Meloni abolished abuse of office as a criminal offense last year – a move that will no longer be possible under this legislation.

Public officials will now be required to disclose their assets, and national anti-corruption strategies will become mandatory. Despite resistance from the Council – particularly from Meloni’s government in Italy, backed by Chancellor Merz and the German federal government – abuse of office has been firmly established as a criminal offense.

Daniel Freund, Green negotiator on the Anti-Corruption Directive:

“For the first time, Europe is setting common standards in the fight against corruption. We now have clear definitions of what constitutes corruption and minimum penalties for each offense. This prevents countries like Italy, Romania, or Hungary from simply decriminalizing certain acts. No EU country can fall below this baseline. This is real progress.”