CENTRAL ANTI-CORRUPTION BUREAU always in the interest of Poland 20th EPAC/EACN Annual International Anti-Corruption Conference - News

On 1-2 December 2021, the 20th EPAC/EACN Annual International Anti-Corruption Conference (European Partners Against Corruption/European Anti-Corruption Network) was held in Vilnius, Lithuania. The meeting was hosted by the Special Investigation Service of the Republic of Lithuania (STT).

The meeting hosted representatives of anti-corruption services and institutions from over 20 countries. The Central Anti-Corruption Bureau was represented by the Head of the CBA Andrzej Stróżny and the representatives of the CBA organizational units (the Cabinet of the Head of the CBA and the Operational and Investigative Department).

The main goal of conferences organized so far has been to develop and maintain mutual relations between theoreticians and practitioners in the field of combating corruption in public administration as well as institutions supervising the performance of law enforcement authorities. This year's conference was an excellent opportunity to summarize the last 20 years of undertaken activities and a field for discussion on new paths for counteracting corruption and police oversight.

During the General Assembly of EPAC/EACN members, new authorities of the organization were elected and the "Vilnius Declaration" was adopted, recommending, among other things, strengthening of existing and development of new methods of international cooperation and information exchange, development of anti-corruption activities, use of manuals and guidelines prepared by EPAC/EACN working groups. It also urged to treat corruption as a significant threat to the prosperity, stability and security of the state due to its destructive nature and negative impact on society, economic development, trust towards public institutions, health and safety of the population and especially its most vulnerable groups.

The European Partners Against Corruption (EPAC) and the European Anti-Corruption Network (EACN) are independent fora of practitioners, united in the common goal of preventing and fighting corruption. While EPAC has been in existence since 2004, EACN was founded in 2008. EPAC is composed of anti-corruption agencies and police oversight bodies within Council of Europe member states. EACN, a more formal network established by a decision of the European Council, brings together anti-corruption authorities from European Union member states.

The CBA was admitted to EPAC in 2007. In 2013, it hosted the 13th EPAC/EACN Annual Conference.

Public Relations Division of the CBA