Council of Europe – 4th GRECO evaluation round Compliance procedure in respect of Monaco concludes

La délégation monégasque : Mme Corinne Laforest De Minotty, Chargée de mission auprès du Département des Relations Extérieures et de la Coopération ; Mme Helene Zaccabri, Chef de l'Inspection Générale de l'Administration ; M. Jean-Laurent Ravera, Adjoint au Directeur à la Direction des Affaires Juridiques (Chef de délégation) ; M. Thomas Brezzo, Conseiller national, Président de la Commission de législation ; M. Pierre-Erige Ciaudo, Administrateur à la Direction des Services Judiciaires.

During its 93^rd plenary meeting (Strasbourg, 20–24 March 2023), at the session on 22 March 2023, the Council of Europe Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) adopted the second Compliance Report on Monaco as part of the fourth round on preventing corruption by members of parliament, judges and prosecutors. A Monegasque delegation attended the session.

This report concludes GRECO’s compliance procedure in respect of the Principality for this round, which began in 2016. GRECO concluded that Monaco “had satisfactorily implemented or dealt with 12 of the 16 recommendations contained in the Fourth Round Evaluation Report.” Four recommendations remained partially implemented.

Regarding the National Council, GRECO noted “significant progress aimed at strengthening integrity measures,” highlighting in particular the adoption of the assembly’s Code of Conduct and the Ethics Charter for members of the National Council, as well as increased transparency around the legislative process.

With regard to judges, GRECO noted “the adoption of a set of ethical and deontological principles for judges, as well as the legislation on the organisation of the Supreme Court and the adoption of an Ethics Charter for its members.” It also noted “the new law on the status of the judiciary, which strengthens the position of the High Council of Judges and Prosecutors as a guarantor of judicial independence and the application of the status of judges alongside the Secretary of Justice.”

The Prince’s Government welcomes the work which has been done by the National Council and the Department of Justice through the various reforms implemented, enabling Monaco to conclude the fourth GRECO evaluation round. This offers new proof of the country’s firm commitment within the Council of Europe, a commitment which, as H.S.H. the Sovereign Prince recently reiterated, is one of the “key priorities for the future of our country.”

The report will be accessible from the GRECO website: https://www.coe.int/en/web/greco/home

Established in 1999 by the Council of Europe to monitor member states’ compliance with the organisation’s anti-corruption standards, GRECO’s objective is to improve the capacity of its members to fight corruption by monitoring their compliance with Council of Europe anti-corruption standards through a dynamic process of mutual evaluation and peer pressure. It helps to identify deficiencies in national anti-corruption policies, prompting the necessary legislative, institutional and practical reforms. GRECO also provides a platform for the sharing of best practice in the prevention and detection of corruption.