Democracy depends on trust and that the rules apply to everyone equally, but corruption puts that trust at risk - and the cost to Europe is staggering. It can drain up to €990 billion from the economy every year, while its consequences reach far beyond money.
The public’s trust is fragile. A 2025 Eurobarometer survey found that 69% of Europeans believe corruption is widespread in their country, while 51% say the same about political parties. More than half doubt their government’s efforts to tackle corruption are effective.
Liberals are calling for stronger safeguards against conflicts of interest, tougher rules on political financing and better protection for those who expose wrongdoing. They also want national and EU authorities to work more closely together so corruption cannot escape justice simply by crossing a border.
Beyond these measures, liberals are also spearheading efforts to add corruption to the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime, giving the EU another way to hold those responsible to account.
The European Parliament has already taken a first step with the Anti-Corruption Directive, approved in March. Now, attention turns to the European Commission’s first EU-wide anti-corruption strategy, which must do more than punish wrongdoing after it happens. It must help stop corruption before it takes root.
Following the European Parliament’s vote on 8 October calling for tougher anti-corruption measures, Raquel García Hermida-van der Walle MEP (D66, NL), rapporteur for the Anti-Corruption Directive and co-author of the resolution, said:
“The anti-corruption strategy is key to implementing the Anti-Corruption Directive. Every day we wait with implementation of anti-corruption measures hurts victims. Kuciak, Caruana Galizia, the victims of Tempi, Svoge and Novi Sad: they all had hopes and dreams, and corruption took them away.
Corruption is still a daily reality in the European Union. We will never accept that. This isn't just any topic that countries can take time for, people want change now. We will be watching closely to make sure the Commission delivers.”
García Hermida-van der Walle's words are a reminder that corruption is never a victimless crime. Behind every failure of accountability are people who can lose their rights, their safety or their trust in the institutions meant to protect them.
For liberals, fighting corruption is ultimately about protecting the principles that hold Europe together: democracy, the rule of law and the belief that power must serve the public, not those who abuse it.
At stake are ordinary people's lives, their futures and their faith that the system will treat them fairly. They must never be the ones to pay the price for corruption.