International Cooperation
20th EPAC/EACN Annual Conference in Vilnius
On 1 and 2 December 2021, the Annual Professional Conference and General Assembly of the "European Partners against Corruption” and the "European contact-point network against corruption” (EPAC/EACN) took place in Vilnius, Lithuania.
This year’s event, marking the 20th anniversary of the EPAC network, was organized by the Lithuanian law enforcement agency "Special Investigation Service of the Republic of Lithuania" (STT).
The conference, hosted by Lithuania for the first time, was held in a hybrid format (on site in Vilnius and online). 120 participants from 54 authorities and 30 different countries discussed the past 20 years as well as possible new ways to fight corruption.
On behalf of the Federal Bureau of Anti-Corruption (BAK), which also provides the EPAC/EACN Secretariat, the Acting Director, Otto Kerbl, and three other senior officials as well as several officials participated in person or online.
Two new members have joined the EPAC/EACN networks during the conference: the requests for membership of the Slovak National Security Authority (NBU) and the French Central Office for the Fight against Corruption, Financial and Tax Offences (OCLCIFF) were approved by the general assembly.
Prominent speakers from international organizations and EPAC/EACN members gave presentations on topics such as the rule of law, the fight against corruption, the independence of autonomous authorities, and ways of obtaining information. For example, the work results and the new manual of the EPAC/EACN working group "EU Integrity" with its best practices were presented.
In addition, the 2021 EPAC/EACN Award for the most innovative anti-corruption initiative was given to the Regional Anti-Corruption Initiative (RAI) with its EU co-funded project "Break the Silence: Whistle for the End”. The project had won against three other projects in an online voting.
Finally, on the second day of the conference, the general assembly elected the new EPAC/EACN Board with President-elect Žydrunas Bartkus, Director of the Lithuanian STT. The interim Head of Department III/BAK/1, Ernst Schmid, was elected Vice-President of the Anti-Corruption Strand.
At the end of the event, the "Vilnius Declaration" was adopted by the general assembly as a message to strengthen cooperation in the fight against corruption.