15/09/2025 Transparency and Integrity | Rules of Procedure, Immunities and Institutional Affairs
As part of a project, funded by Germany, to strengthen ethical and integrity standards in parliaments across Council of Europe member states, the Committee on Rules, Ethics and Immunities, in co-operation with the OSCE-ODIHR, co-organised a study visit to the Houses of Parliament in London on 9–10 September.
The visit brought together delegations of parliamentarians from the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and the National Assembly of North Macedonia to consider how parliaments can develop effective, enforceable codes of ethics, to prevent, detect and investigate breaches of ethical standards and cases of corruption.
Participants had the opportunity to study Westminster’s range of models for upholding ethical standards, including the different models for instilling independence into bodies responsible for enforcing ethical standards. These included the role of independent investigators under the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme, the functional independence of the Commissioners for Standards, and the appointment of lay members as part of the composition of the Committee on Standards.
A key theme of the sessions was the importance of codes of conduct for parliamentarians and the different ways they can be implemented. The delegations shared insights into their respective systems and reflected on possible reforms to strengthen integrity and accountability in parliamentary life.
In addition, the delegations held a meeting with David Meyer, President of GRECO (Group of States against Corruption), during which they discussed the outcomes of the fourth evaluation round in regard to Parliaments for both Ukraine and North Macedonia, focusing on progress made and future priorities in strengthening ethical standards and combating corruption.
The exchange underlined the benefits of drawing on comparative experiences to reinforce ethical resilience across Europe’s democratic institutions.
The Committee on Rules, Ethics and Immunities is organising a series of seminars and round tables on this theme, the first of which took place in London on 31 March 2025 under the title “Strengthening Ethics and Integrity in Parliaments.”
