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The European Commission has just published its 2026 Rule of Law Report, and the findings on anti-corruption paint a stark picture. Here’s a quick analysis. Our analysis of recommendations issued across seven EU member states (2022 -2026) reveals persistent gaps between commitments and action ⬇️

1) Enforcement is backsliding. Bulgaria, Hungary and Slovakia have repeatedly received recommendations on the track record of high-level corruption cases with no progress. For the first time, the Commission used notably stronger language to describe the deterioration observed in Slovakia.

2) Lobbying reform is stalled. Recommendations for stronger lobbying frameworks for countries including Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands and Slovakia, saw very little progress beyond legislative proposals.

3) Conflict of interest rules are barely moving. Minimal progress has been made on asset disclosure and integrity frameworks.