The Council of Europe deplored
Austria's
“
generally insufficient
”
progress
in the fight against corruption in the judiciary or political circles, in a report made public on Monday 1 March.
According to the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO), a body of the Council of Europe, "
Austria has implemented satisfactorily (...) only two of the nineteen recommendations
" it had issued in 2017.
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GRECO thus notes that "
the very low level of compliance
" with its recommendations "
has not changed
" whether it concerns "
the transparency of the legislative process
" or a "
code of conduct for Members
" on issues such as conflicts of interest or declarations of assets.
Regarding judges and prosecutors, he considers “
regrettable that a considerable number of measures
” envisaged since 2018 “
have still not been finalized
”.
He thus points to shortcomings in the process of selecting magistrates or their evaluation even if he notes “
progress
” with new provisions prohibiting them from simultaneously holding political or ethical functions.
GRECO thus requests Austria to submit to it a progress report on the implementation of its recommendations "as
soon as possible and, at the latest, by 30 September 2021
".
Austria has been rocked in recent years by several corruption scandals.
Again recently, on February 11, the home of the Austrian Minister of Finance, close to Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, was raided, the courts suspecting him of being involved in the secret financing of the Conservative Party by the global gambling giant Novomatic. .
GRECO currently brings together the 47 member states of the Council of Europe, as well as Belarus, Kazakhstan and the United States.
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