Police and judicial cooperation: contact-point network against corruption

The European Parliament adopted, by 584 votes to 14, a legislative resolution, amending the initiative by the Federal Republic of Germany with a view to the adoption of a Council decision on a contact-point network against corruption.

The report had been tabled for consideration in plenary by Hubert PIRKER (EPP-ED, AT) on behalf of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs.

The main amendments are as follows:

• OLAF should be an integral part of this network;
• given the absence of a review mechanism, Parliament inserted a clause stating that the Network shall provide the Commission and the European Parliament on a yearly basis with a report on its findings under Article (3)(1)(1), including concrete proposals on the prevention and combating of corruption;
• the network shall organise itself so as to be chaired by the relevant Council Presidency, and build on existing informal collaboration between the EPAC;
• the Commission shall bear all expenses of its representatives as well as the expenses of the members designated by the Member States. The same rule shall apply to Europol and Eurojust.