Switzerland makes ‘satisfactory’ anti-corruption progress
The Council of Europe says Switzerland has made “satisfactory” progress in implementing a series of anti-corruption recommendations relating to parliamentarians, judges and prosecutors.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/sb
In a report published on ThursdayExternal link, the Council of Europe Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) said Switzerland had implemented its recommendations for prosecutors and, to a lesser extent, those for parliamentarians. Additional efforts are needed for judges, it added.
“GRECO concludes that Switzerland has implemented satisfactorily or dealt with in a satisfactory manner five of the twelve recommendations contained in the Fourth Round Evaluation Report. Of the remaining recommendations, three have been partly implemented and four have not been implemented,” the Strasbourg-based monitoring body declared.
GRECO said it was happy with transparency improvements, relating to parliamentarians’ declarations of personal interests and for giving the public wider access to parliamentary committee documents.
It said it welcomed Swiss clarification ensuring that each parliamentarian spontaneously discloses any conflicts of interest during debates, as well as both chambers’ willingness to publish parliamentarians’ rights and duties in a single document. However, it regretted that parliament had not pushed politicians to declare their financial interests and had not strengthened monitoring of declarations of interest.
GRECO says further progress is needed with regard to the independence of judges. It acknowledges the efforts of the Federal Council (executive body) and parliament to review the system for the election of judges. But it believes that there is still a risk that judges could fail to be re-elected for political reasons and that allowing judges to contribute financially to political parties violates the principle of judicial independence.
Switzerland, which has been a member of the Council of Europe since 1963, has until the end of September 2020 to implement any remaining GRECO recommendations and to inform the body of any adopted measures. A follow-up compliance report will be published in 2021.
More
More
Switzerland reprimanded for opaque political financing
This content was published on
Council of Europe Group of States against CorruptionExternal link (Greco) criticised Switzerland’s “lack of progress” on the issue. At present, Swiss political parties are not obliged to declare the source of their funding, whether it be from individuals, corporations or other interest groups. “Greco expresses regret that the federal government is maintaining its position of…
Ukraine peace conference should include Russia, says Chinese ambassador
This content was published on
China supports a peace conference on the Ukraine war that would see equal participation of all parties, says Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui.
This content was published on
A majority of Swiss citizens have open attitudes towards various infertility treatments, including even egg donation, which is currently prohibited.
Reports of Swiss cyber fraud almost doubled in six months
This content was published on
The head of the new Federal Office for Cybersecurity (FOC), Florian Schütz, has presented a new strategy after just over four months in office.
Ecological status of Swiss streams insufficient according to study
This content was published on
Pesticide use and obstructions of waterways have a particularly negative impact on sensitive organisms, completely absent in 70% of streams analysed.
Train line between Brig and Domodossola interrupted
This content was published on
One day after a derailment approximately 15 kilometres from the Swiss border, BLS is running buses for passengers between Preglia and Domodossola, in Italy.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Switzerland ranked among least corrupt in global index
This content was published on
For the second year running, Switzerland has been ranked third in Transparency International’s (TI) 2018 Corruption Perceptions Index.
Geneva expenses scandal sparks calls for more transparency
This content was published on
Members of the Geneva city council are under fire for claiming exorbitant amounts for expenses, such as champagne, taxis and telephone bills.
This content was published on
The Swiss government says it rejects a popular initiative calling for more transparency in political party funding and sees no need to legislate.
Watchdog urges Switzerland to step up anti-bribery efforts
This content was published on
Switzerland is an active anti-bribery enforcer but still needs to do more, the anti-corruption group Transparency International says.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.