“We are sending a clear message that the EU is not open to those who engage in corruption wherever it occurs,” said Josep Borrell, EU foreign policy chief.
Brussels announced Wednesday that it wants to harmonize criminal provisions against corruption throughout the European Union and add perpetrators of corruption wherever they occur in the world to the “black list” of European sanctions.
“We are sending a clear message that the EU is not open to those who engage in corruption wherever it occurs,” said Josep Borrell, EU foreign policy chief.
“Corruption can threaten international peace and security and encourage organized crime, terrorism and other crimes. That is why we are expanding our work to fight corruption around the world,” he added.
According to a legislative framework proposed by the European Commission that still needs approval by the 27 countries, people deemed to be involved in “serious corruption activities” in the EU regardless of their nationality could be frozen, barred from entering Europe and denied access to financial resources in Europe.
This system is similar to the “Magnitsky Act” that was adopted in the United States in 2012 to punish Russians accused of involvement in the death of a lawyer condemning corruption during his arrest in Moscow.
It was expanded in 2016 to include all suspects of human rights violations or serious acts of corruption worldwide.
