Commission presents a new study on areas most at risk of corruption

No area is free from corruption, but certain areas may present higher risks than others. These are areas that involve management of significant public funds or access to critical services, such as health care. On 4 November 2024, the Commission published its study, High-risk areas of corruption in EU Member States: a mapping and in-depth analysis, which was contracted in 2023 to identify areas most at risk of corruption and provide an in-depth analysis of the nature of and reasons behind these risks.

Six EU-wide sectors emerged as high-risk areas of corruption where the Commission will be prioritising actions: healthcare, finance, public procurement, defence and security, construction and infrastructure, and sports. This is because they all affect a broad cross-section of populations, communities, employees, and consumers across the EU and provide basic, everyday products and services on which everyone living in the EU depends. Europeans’ quality of life suffers – individually and collectively – when these sectors are robbed or weakened by corruption. Often, corruption in these areas has cross-border implications and necessitates transnational action.

The study was presented and discussed at the 2^nd plenary meeting of the EU network against corruption on 3 October, where public procurement, construction and infrastructure, and health care were voted to be among the areas most at risk. A follow-up study will investigate actions that mitigate corruption in these high-risk areas. As announced in the 2023 Joint Communication on the fight against corruption, the research will feed into the first EU strategy against corruption, setting out actions to prevent and fight corruption in high risk areas.