Commission Proposes New Directive To Step Up Fight Against Corruption

While allegations of corruption continue to make headlines in Austria, the Ministry of Justice responded in January with draft legislation on the Corruption Law Amendment Act 2023. Now, the Commission is proposing a new directive to update and harmonise the EU rules on how to define and punish corruption offences. While the proposal aims to create a level playing field in all Member States in the fight against corruption, mainly by requiring Member States

• to put or have in place bodies in their national law specialised in preventing and repressing corruption;
• to ensure the liability of legal persons, while excluding that such liability is alternative to that of natural persons;