On the 9th of November 2023, the second national meeting under the newly created EU network against corruption took place in Sweden at the premises of the European Commission Representation in Stockholm. The meeting focussed on the challenge of foreign bribery in Sweden.

As part of the EU network against corruption the Commission hosts national meetings to provide an opportunity for EU Member States’ anti-corruption stakeholders to engage in dialogue and raise awareness on anti-corruption issues. The EU network against corruption, set up as part of the EU anti-corruption adopted on 3 May 2023, brings together national authorities, practitioners, civil society, international organisations, EU agencies and relevant services of the European Commission.

In the 2023 Rule of Law report, the Commission recommended that Sweden “strengthen(s) the fight against foreign bribery, including through amending existing legal definitions and improving on prosecution and final judgments of cases”. Based on these recommendations the meeting set out to discuss whether the existing rules are sufficient and if existing standards are being adequately implemented, as well as what changes need to be made to ensure that companies that bribe foreign public officials are properly investigated.

Participants suggested several solutions, including prolonging statutes of limitations, starting the count only when the case is revealed, and increasing fines proportionate to the company’s size. Reconsidering the principle of double impunity, introducing extraordinarily severe bribery as a crime with imprisonment as a likely outcome, and relaxing rules on who counts as a bribeable person were also discussed. In sum, the meeting resulted in a good and constructive discussion between participants.