Mar22023

The EPAC/EACN. An approach to these organizations and the importance of the participation in them of the AVAF

EPAC (European  Partners against Corruption) and EACN (European contact-point network against corruption) are two independent forums for anti-corruption and police authorities and bodies, united in the common objective of preventing and combating corruption. While EPAC has been around since 2004, EACN was founded in 2008, following the EPAC model.

The EPAC is composed of  anti-corruption authorities and police oversight bodies  from member countries of the Council of Europe.  The  EACN, a more formal network established by a decision of the Council of the European Union, brings together the anti-corruption authorities of the Member States of the European Union.  In any case, both networks work together as one, given their common mission and goals. Most anti-corruption authorities are also, in fact, members of bothnetworks.  The financial resources available to both networks are supported by voluntary contributions from members, observers, official international programmes and other sources of funding such as those from the EU.

With the overall objective of strengthening cooperation, the  EPAC/EACN provides a platform for practitioners to exchange experiences, information and concerns in the field of anti-corruption and policing, assist each other and cooperate across national borders, both in terms of knowledge and practical experience. Its main objective is to contribute to police oversight and the global fight against corruption through dialogue and joint work, respecting the legal systems of each country.  Consequently, the EPAC/EACN is committed to  promoting effective police and anti-corruption systems thatare based on ethical standards and ensure respect for the rule of law and human rights.

The mission of the EPAC/EACN is to:

  • Establish, maintain and develop contacts between specialized anti-corruption and police oversight authorities.
  • Promote independence, impartiality, legitimacy, accountability, transparency and accessibility in all systems created and maintained for independent oversight of police and anti-corruption work
  • Promote international legal instruments and mechanisms from a professional perspective.
  • Support the development and promotion of common working standards and best practices for police oversight bodies and anti-corruption authorities.
  • Provide a platform for the exchange of information and experience on developments in police oversight and anti-corruption.
  • Provide support to other countries and organizations seeking to establish or develop oversight mechanisms and anti-corruption authorities.
  • Cooperate with other organizations, authorities, networks and stakeholders in the fulfillment of the above objectives.

At the moment the EPAC brings together 90 anti-corruption authorities and police oversight bodies of the Council of Europe and member states of the European Union, is the largest network in Europe in the field of anti-corruption and is a special organization because it brings together different types of services, agencies, organizations, which represent the anti-corruption systems of each country. The EACN comprises almost 60 anti-corruption authorities from EU Member States. The European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) is a member of both networks, while the European Commission, Europol and Eurojust maintain an ongoing relationship with the activities of the EACN. The newly established European Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) has joined both organisations as an observer.

AVAF has been a member of the EPAC/EACN since the 18th Annual Professional Conference and General Assembly, which was organised by the Austrian Federal Anti-Corruption Office (BAK) and which took place from 22 to 24 October 2018 in Rust, Austria. Along with the AVAF,  several Spanish authorities are members  of   the EPAC/EACN:  the Anti-Fraud Office of Catalonia (OAC), the Special Prosecutor’s Office against Corruption and Organized Crime, the Inspectorate of Personnel and Services of the State Police Agencies (IPSS) under the Ministry of the  Interior, the Internal Affairs Division of the Mossos de Escuadra  and  the Office for the Prevention and Fight against Fraud of the Balearic Islands

Each year, the EPAC/EACN holds  a conference and   a general assembly to which the members of both networks are invited and in which they expose, among other issues, the way of working of the different anti-corruption and police surveillance authorities, the situation or difficulties in which they find themselves in certain countries or the solutions adopted in the field of anti-corruption in certain practical cases those who have had to face. In addition, there are different active working groups for the development of concrete projects that  organize seminars  and webinars to  present and share their progress and results, to which all members of the EPAC / EACN are invited, whether or not they are part of that specific working group.

On 23 and 24 November 2022, the 21st Annual Conference and General Assembly of the EPAC/EACN was held in Chisinau, Moldova, in which the Valencian Anti-Fraud Agency was present.

The conference showed  that the problems of the war in Ukraine, inflation and the disinformation associated with it, represent a situation of exceptional vulnerability that accentuates the risks of corruption.  Two strong ideas were also put forward which are worth highlighting.  Aof great interest to EU candidate countries: corruption deters foreign investment;  and, the other, which must be kept in mind by  all anti-corruption authorities and  by all social agents: it  is very difficult to build a system to fight corruption and very easy to destroy it.

AVAF’s participation in these international networks undoubtedly provides it with a space to share experiences with institutions with extensive background and experience in the fight against corruption.  Sharing problems and situations that occur in other territories, as well as ways to address them by other agencies, definitely enriches our institution and helps us implement best practices in pursuit of our final and common goal which is the prevention and fight against fraud and corruption.

Mª José Moragues Faus

Head of Unit of the analysis and investigation of the Valencian Anti-Fraud Agency

Mar22023

The City Council of Algemesí and the Valencian Anti-Fraud Agency sign a protocol to launch the complaint mailboxes and the Integrity Plan

Algemesí, February 28,  2023.- The mayor of Algemesí, Marta Trenzano, and the director of the  Valencian Anti-Fraud Agency, Joan Llinares, have signed a collaboration protocol between both institutions that will help promote the Integrity Plan in which the City Council of Algemesí is working.

Within the general lines of the Integrity Plan, the implementation of both internal and external complaint mailboxes is contemplated, thus complying with the  requirement  of the new Law 2/2023 regulating the protection of people who report on regulatory infractions and the fight against corruption.

With this Law published in the BOE on February 21, the European Directive 1937/2019 on the protection of persons who report breaches of Union Law, better known as the Whistleblowers Directive, is transposed into Spanish law.

The Aandanointing  of Algemesí will  enable as an external channel of denunciations the mailbox of complaints of the Valencia Antifraud Agency which will be visible on the municipal website;  A mailbox that guarantees the confidentiality of whistleblowers, as well as allows the possibility of being able to make complaints anonymously.

The collaboration between both institutions will  also extend to other actions and activities such as those of a formative nature where the staff of the municipality will receive training in aspects related to the promotion of ethics and public integrity, as well as the prevention and detection of situations constituting fraud and corruption.

The Integrity Plan of the City Council of Algemesí will contain, among others, an institutional declaration of integrity; incorporating institutional integrity into strategic planning; enabling a specific internal whistleblowing channel and connecting to the Agency’s external whistleblowing channel; the regulation and management of conflicts of interest; the training of City Council staff in matters of integrity or the promotion and dissemination of the culture of ethics and public integrity.

The mayor of Algemesí, Marta Trenzano was very grateful to the Agency for the accompaniment and advice in the fight against fraud and in favor of the protection and transparency of public administrations.

For his part, the director of the Agency, Joan Llinares, has declared that “this is the first agreement that the Agency signs after the publication of the new Law on the Protection of Informants and where public administrations have 3 months from the entry into force to equip themselves with these internal and external complaint mechanisms”.

“Compliance with the requirement of external complaint mailboxes in the Valencian Community can be easily resolved by having an Anti-Fraud Agency and for this it is only necessary that each administration, company or institution includes next to its internal complaints mailbox the address of the external complaints mailbox of the Agency. The Agency offers assistance and advice in the implementation of both external and internal mailboxes and the  only requirement is to sign a protocol regulating such collaboration,” added Llinares.

Declarations by the Mayoress of Algemesi

Declarations by the AVAF director 

Mar12023

The #DocufòrumAVAF returns to the Hall of Degrees of the Faculty of Law of the University of Valencia

#TrainingAVAF

The #DocufòrumAVAF learning experience, created by the Valencian Anti-Fraud Agency for the debate on corruption in the classrooms of the educational centers of the Valencian Community, is one of the most requested training activities of the AVAF.

In the 2022-2023 academic year, the Faculty of Law of the University of Valencia has included the AVAF University Docufòrum activity in the Center Innovation Project (PIC).

The #DocufòrumAVAF is an activity aimed at promoting the social culture of civic ethics, public integrity, fraud prevention and rejection of corruption among students of all University degrees.

On this occasion, the Valencian Anti-Fraud Agency has debated these issues with students of the Double Degree in Law and Criminology, the Degree in Law and the Double Degree in Political Science and Law. Thus, on Tuesday, February 28, 2023, a new #DocufòrumAVAF was held at the Faculty of Law, of the University of Valencia.

106 students of the subject of Constitutional Law I and II of the first and second year participated in the training activity.

The activity had the collaboration of professors Vicenta Tasa and Mariano Vivancos from the Department of Constitutional Law and Political Science and Public Administration. Anselm Bodoque Arribas, head of the AVAF Training Service, was responsible for energizing the debate session with the students.

After watching the documentary “Corruption: Harmful Organism”, the students ask questions focused on the origin and causes of corruption, the social impact and collective costs it entails, the perception of corruption in our society and in other countries of our around.

Subsequently, the AVAF representative discusses with the students the issues raised in their questions and others related to the need for greater public ethics and integrity, prevention strategies and civic training or the functions of the Valencian Anti-Fraud Agency and public policies. of fighting corruption.

In the debate, the students showed interest in the investigation procedure and the means available to them in corruption processes, as well as the profile of the Agency’s personnel and the procedure for accessing it. He was also concerned about the strategies to fight against fraud and corruption in Spain, and in the legal framework of integrity of the Valencian Community.

The activity has been organized in collaboration with the University of Valencia, which we thank for its interest and willingness to help create a culture of public integrity and rejection of fraud and corruption.

If you are a university, secondary or baccalaureate teacher and you are interested in having the training activity #DocufòrumAVAF “Corruption: harmful organism” carried out in your subject, do not hesitate to contact the Training Service of the Valencian Anti-Fraud Agency through from training@antifraucv.es.