European Partners against Corruption (EPAC)

The European Partners against Corruption (EPAC) is an independent, informal network bringing together more than 70 anti-corruption authorities and police oversight bodies from Council of Europe Member Countries. Of diverse origin, they have different kinds of competences and varied legal forms. The European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) is also a member, whereas the authority of Kosovo enjoys observer status.

EPAC offers a medium for practitioners to share experiences, identify opportunities, and cooperate across national borders in developing common strategies and high professional standards. Every year, EPAC members organize a professional conference, together with EACN since 2008, and have a number of working groups operating throughout the year.

The origins of EPAC date back to 2001, when, under the Belgian Presidency of the European Union, 25 heads of police oversight bodies from the 15 EU Member States recognized the need for closer cooperation in promoting transparency and accountability in policing. As a result, they agreed to meet regularly and exchange experiences on police integrity and anti-corruption practices. EPAC was officially inaugurated in November 2004 during the AGIS conference on the Enhancement of Operational Cooperation in Fighting Corruption in the European Union, held in Vienna, Austria. The conference, supported by the AGIS Programme of the European Commission, marked the formal beginning of EPAC as a Europe-wide professional network. Following the 2004 EU enlargement, ten new Member States joined, bringing with them newly established anti-corruption authorities that further broadened EPAC’s scope.

In 2004, ten additional countries joined the European Union. In the process of incorporating the acquis communautaire into their legislation, the new Member States established specialized anti-corruption authorities which, to some extent, became mandated with police oversight and preventing and combating corruption. From this point forward, anti-corruption authorities were also granted a mandate within EPAC alongside police oversight bodies.

The EPAC network was officially established during the AGIS conference on the Enhancement of Operational Cooperation in Fighting Corruption in the European Union, held in Vienna, Austria, in November 2004.

In 2009, the EPAC Constitution was unanimously adopted during the Annual Professional Conference in Nova Gorica, Slovenia. This document formally defined the network’s structure, objectives, and membership criteria, and opened participation to anti-corruption and police oversight bodies from all Council of Europe Member States, expanding EPAC’s reach beyond the European Union. In addition to the 27 European Union Member States of the time, EPAC membership was opened to anti-corruption authorities and police oversight bodies from Council of Europe Member Countries. Authorities from Albania, Croatia, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Norway and Serbia, having been observers before, became members. Today, EPAC continues to grow as a pan-European community of practic, committed to promoting integrity and accountability in the public sector.