Corruption as a threat to democracy and the rule of law in Europe: the emergency of the situation in Spain

Motion for a resolution | Doc. 16194 | 05 June 2025

Signatories:

Ms Carmen LEYTE, Spain, EPP/CD ; Ms Dora BAKOYANNIS, Greece, EPP/CD ; Ms Regina BASTOS, Portugal, EPP/CD ; Ms Deborah BERGAMINI, Italy, EPP/CD ; Mr Christophe BRICO, Monaco, EPP/CD ; Mr Ricardo CARVALHO, Portugal, EPP/CD ; Ms Linda Hofstad HELLELAND, Norway, EPP/CD ; Mr Pablo HISPÁN, Spain, EPP/CD ; Ms Maria-Gabriela HORGA, Romania, EPP/CD ; Ms Belén HOYO, Spain, EPP/CD ; Mr Dimitrios MARKOPOULOS, Greece, EPP/CD ; Ms Oana MURARIU, Romania, ALDE ; Mr Szabolcs NAGY, Romania, EPP/CD ; Mr Cristian-Augustin NICULESCU-ȚÂGÂRLAȘ, Romania, EPP/CD ; Mr Tekke PANMAN, Netherlands, EPP/CD ; Ms Marija PETRUSHEVSKA, North Macedonia, EPP/CD ; Ms Catia POLIDORI, Italy, EPP/CD ; Mr Gonzalo ROBLES, Spain, EPP/CD ; Mr Robert-Ionatan SIGHIARTĂU, Romania, EPP/CD ; Mr Georgios STAMATIS, Greece, EPP/CD ; Ms Maria SYRENGELA, Greece, EPP/CD ; Mr Nicos TORNARITIS, Cyprus, EPP/CD ; Mr Volker ULLRICH, Germany, EPP/CD ; Mr Vladimir VARDANYAN, Armenia, EPP/CD ; Ms Maria-Nefeli VASILEIOU CHATZIIOANNIDOU, Greece, EPP/CD ; Ms Albana VOKSHI, Albania, EPP/CD

This motion has not been discussed in the Assembly and commits only those who have signed it.

For the Council of Europe, corruption has always been one of the greatest enemies of democracy. This scourge weakens democracy by alienating citizens from politics, eroding their trust in institutions and affecting the living together. It is used by populists as an excuse to change the constitutional order of our nations.

Over the years, the Council of Europe has put in place numerous mechanisms to combat and prevent corruption and strengthen the rule of law, including the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) whose reports are crucial.

Unfortunately, the publication of these reports is sometimes delayed, or they are only published partially, and their recommendations are not always implemented. To fight corruption, the judiciary must be independent and have adequate resources, and the media must be free.

Spain is one of the countries that are currently most affected by corruption. New scandals are brought to light every day and those involved are trying to undermine the independence of judges, control the police and the media, and discredit the Prosecutor's Office that has also ended up involved in these scandals.

The Parliamentary Assembly should prepare a report on this issue with a view to improving the tools to fight against corruption in our democracies, with a special focus on the situation in Spain.