Speaking at the conference on “The role of local and regional authorities in preventing corruption and promoting good governance” in Brussels on 28 February 2017, Congress President Gudrun Mosler-Törnström reaffirmed the Congress commitment in this field, in particular, through its “Roadmap of activities for preventing corruption and promoting public ethics at local and regional levels” adopted in 2016.

 This is a comprehensive and long-term approach to corruption prevention, which promotes rigorous governance frameworks and the development of common standards. “While local and regional authorities have seen their budgets and competences increase, control and disciplinary mechanisms are still lacking, opening the doors for possible abuse,” explained the Congress President. “There is a strong link between the behaviour of elected representatives and the quality of governance”, she added mentioning the “European Code of Conduct for the political integrity of local and regional elected representatives”, which set out general principles governing public duties and which is currently under revision. 

Source: http://www.coe.int/t/congress/files/events/2017/20170228-corruption/default_en.asp