In its latest follow-up report the Council of Europe's Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) calls on the Slovak Republic to take determined action to implement the outstanding recommendations issued to the country to prevent corruption and strengthen integrity in respect of central government high-level officials and the police force.
In particular, GRECO emphasised the need to establish rules on involvement of individuals with senior executive roles in the government with lobbyists and third parties. Specifically to pass the draft law on lobbying and disclose such contacts; to strengthen the regime on gifts and the system of asset declarations; to broaden the scope of post-employment restrictions; to introduce integrity checks for state secretaries and political advisers; and to adopt a dedicated corruption prevention plan for people in the higher levels of government. The report notes positively the new government's manifesto, which envisages several measures to implement GRECO's recommendations.
As regards the police force, the report notes no visible progress in certain areas, stating that rules on post-employment restrictions for police officers have not yet been adopted, and that the authorities' stated intention to introduce integrity checks as part of the security-check system and to strengthen the control of asset declarations has yet to be concretised. The report acknowledges progress with, in particular, the publication of an explanatory guide on the code of ethics, which includes practical examples and offers guidance. However, GRECO underlined that it has to be a priority to address the lack of an independent complaint mechanism and an effective internal reporting channel for whistleblowers within the police force.
Overall the Slovak Republic has fully implemented five of the 21 recommendations contained in the 5th Round Evaluation Report, adopted in 2019. Of the remaining recommendations, four have been partly implemented and 12 remain unimplemented.
GRECO concludes that the Slovak Republic is not in sufficient compliance with the recommendations and asks the authorities to provide a report on the progress in implementing the outstanding recommendations by 30 June 2026.
The Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) is a Council of Europe body that aims to improve the capacity of its members to fight corruption by monitoring their compliance with anti-corruption standards. It helps states to identify deficiencies in national anti-corruption policies, prompting the necessary legislative, institutional and practical reforms. It comprises the 46 Council of Europe member states, Kazakhstan and the United States of America.
