The AVAF participates in the International Congress of land use to make a city of the UV

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Valencia.- November 3, 2023

The abuse of urban planning as a source of local financing in terms of public integrity was the communication presented by Irene Bravo Rey, head of the Prevention Service and Jorge Ciganda Teruel, technician of the Prevention Service of the AVAF, International Congress on land uses to make a city of the University of Valencia.

In addition to the attendees representing the AVAF, professors, university professors, specialized technicians and students interested in the subject participated in the Congress, held at the Faculty of Law, on November 2 and 3, 2023.

On Friday, November 3, at 1:00 p.m., the presentation of the communication presented by the staff of the AVAF Prevention Service took place, selected by the organizing committee, which was followed by 70 people both in person and online.

The aforementioned communication details that a local public administration or instrumental public sector entity that, with powers or participation in the city creation process, looks the other way and postpones compliance with obligations related to public integrity frameworks will be opening the doors to practices in their public housing policies or economic activities based on private interests. Consequently, it would be directly colliding with the constitutional principles of good administration: objectivity, impartiality, effectiveness, efficiency, legality, among others.

Some of these subjective, partial practices or those derived from undetected or uncontrolled conflicts of interest lead, for example, to “a la carte” tertiary use locations following the interests of private companies. And, in the same way, they result in the creation of ghettos that do not respond to sustainable planning criteria, or land reserves for certain industrial estates or projects. Which, together with the controversial figure of expropriation by operation of law, has put the public accounts of many Valencian municipalities in check.

“The abuse of urban planning as a source of local financing. In terms of public integrity” will be the subject of development in the next General Recommendation of the Valencian Anti-Fraud Agency.

The Agency participates in the EPAC/EACN General Assembly in Dublin with the participation of more than 100 anti-corruption institutions from 30 countries

Press release

Dublin, 3 November 2023 –  The 22nd Annual Conference and General Assembly of the European Anti-Corruption Partners (EPAC) and the European Anti-Corruption Contact Point Network (EACN) took place in Dublin on 2 and 3 December. Among the highlights of the conference was the adoption of the Dublin Declaration and the election of Linas Pernavas, Director of the Lithuanian Special Investigation Service (STT), as the new Chair of the EPAC/EACN Board, while the other members of the Board were re-elected for a second term.

The EPAC/EACN conference, held for the first time in Ireland, was organised by the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission, the Police Authority, the Garda Inspectorate and the Irish Department of Justice and was attended by more than 200 representatives from more than 100 institutions from 30 different countries and jurisdictions.

Members of the European Commission, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (EUROPOL), the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) and national anti-corruption institutions shared their knowledge and experience in different areas of anti-corruption.

This year’s Conference focused on four main themes: whistleblowing, gender-based violence committed by state actors, safeguarding the EU’s financial interests, and how to address new challenges arising in corruption investigations.

The conference also included the presentation of the EPAC/EACN award for the most innovative anti-corruption initiative, which was awarded this year to the Polish Central Anti-Corruption Office for its ‘ABC Integrity’ project.

 

At the general assembly, the following members of the EPAC/EACN Board of Directors were elected for a period of 2 years, consisting of:

Chairman: Linas PERNAVAS, Director of the Special Investigation Service (STT), Lithuania

Vice-President (Anti-Corruption Area): Ernst SCHMID, Head of Department, Federal Anti-Corruption Office (BAK), Austria

Deputy Vice-President (Anti-Corruption Area): Traian Mihăiţă BÂRLICI, Head of the Prevention Directorate, Directorate-General Anti-Corruption (DGA), Romania

Vice-President (Police Supervision Area): Lucile ROLLAND, Deputy Head of the General Inspectorate of the French National Police (IGPN), France

Deputy Vice-President (Police Oversight): Hugh HUME, Commissioner of the Garda Ombudsman Irish Síochána (GSOC), Ireland

In addition, the General Assembly adopted the Dublin Declaration as the outcome document of the conference. This Statement will be widely disseminated by EPAC/EACN members in their respective countries and submitted to the relevant EU institutions and bodies, the Council of Europe’s GRECO, the OECD’s WGB and the UNODC.

The General Assembly also approved five new members as part of the two networks, bringing to 109 the total number of police oversight and anti-corruption bodies from 38 European countries that are members of EPAC and/or EACN. The new members are the Georgia Anti-Corruption Bureau; the Georgian Special Investigation Service; the Hungarian Integrity Authority; the Andalusian Anti-Fraud Office of Spain and the Asset Management and Recovery Agency of Ukraine

Click here to access the Dublin Declaration.