On the 19th of October 2023, the first national meeting under the newly created EU network against corruption took place in Spain at the premises of the European Commission Representation in Madrid.

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 package adopted on 3 May 2023, brings together national authorities, practitioners, civil society, international organisations, EU agencies and relevant services of the European Commission.

This meeting in Spain is the first to be held in this format and served as a pilot for subsequent meetings in the different countries of the European Union. In this meeting, representatives from the government, civil society, and academia came together to discuss the future of a national Spanish anti-corruption strategy.

Based on guiding questions, the discussion focused on the goals of a national strategy, existing rules and standards, challenges for implementation, and public awareness of the rule of law. Various topics were discussed, with the most promising one being the focus on the necessity of a holistic Spanish anti-corruption strategy based on good diagnostics. Accounting for Spain’s diverse governance levels and achieving political consensus is crucial.

Overall, participants confirmed the need for a dedicated national anticorruption strategy. There is a sense of common understanding of the problems that need to be tackled, which in turn could feed into a national strategy. Furthermore, participants emphasised the need for a step-by-step approach, similar to the anti-fraud strategy in Spain.