International

BAK delegation at International Anti-Corruption Conference in Vilnius

The 21st International Anti-Corruption Conference (IACC) took place in Vilnius, Lithuania, from 18 to 21 June 2024. During the conference, the Federal Bureau of Anti-Corruption (BAK) was represented on the panel of a workshop of the EPAC/EACN networks.

At this year's International Anti-Corruption Conference (IACC), representatives of the BAK had the opportunity to take part in numerous workshops, discussion panels and presentations, thereby gaining valuable insights and strengthening partnerships. The dialogue with international colleagues made it possible to identify innovative approaches that have potential for application in Austria.

The IACC is one of the world's largest conferences in the field of anti-corruption and brings together experts, government representatives and civil society organisations from all over the world to discuss innovative strategies for combating corruption. The main topics this year were transparency and accountability, whistleblower protection, digital innovations and international cooperation.

The event was organised by Transparency International and the Special Investigation Service of the Republic of Lithuania (STT). A total of over 2,000 people took part in the conference.

Panel discussion on international standards and guidelines for anti-corruption authorities

One of the highlights of IACC 2024 was the panel discussion on international standards and guidelines for anti-corruption authorities organised by EPAC/EACN (European Partners against Corruption and European contact-point network against corruption). Under the chairmanship of anti-corruption expert Drago Kos (OECD), representatives gathered from the European Commission (Department for Migration and Home Affairs), the Directorate for Financial and Enterprise Affairs of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the Lithuanian, Italian and French anti-corruption authorities STT, ANAC and AFA to exchange views. Ernst Schmid, Head of Department 1 of the BAK and Vice President of EPAC/EACN Anti-Corruption Strand, contributed the perspective of the two networks to the discussion and presented the guidelines that EPAC/EACN has developed in recent years.

Participation in the IACC 2024 in Vilnius was an important step for the BAK, not only to further strengthen its competences in the field of anti-corruption and to learn from the global anti-corruption community, but also to share its expertise and to ensure and promote an exchange of knowledge.