Addressing Globalized Corruption
The Expert Group On Combating Transborder Corruption of the EU-Russia Civil Society Forum was founded in November 2014 by civil society activists and experts from Russia and Europe.
The Group is aimed at contributing to the international fight against corruption. Its members investigate large international projects (e.g. infrastructure construction or resource extraction) carried out in Russia or the EU by private or state-owned corporations and linkages between state officials and organized criminal groups internationally. Such projects are often closed to civil oversight, characterized by indications of corruption and lack of transparency, and accompanied by violation of environmental, socio-economic, and human rights protections.
One of the main goals of the Group is to enhance efficiency of reaction by Western law enforcement bodies (prosecutors, public investigators, police, and so forth) to independent anti-corruption investigations and evidence provided by the journalists. The question ‘Why is it so little done by EU prosecutors to tackle international corruption?’ — despite ample evidence provided by investigative reporters — remains the core focus for the Group’s discussions.
The Group offers recommendations to states, civil society organizations, and international organizations to reduce harm caused by transborder corruption.
The members of the group act as independent experts participating in international exchange of ideas, publishing their articles in Russian and international media.
At the moment, the active core of the group consists of the following members:
Pavel Antonov, editor, BlueLink Civic Action Network;
Harry Hummel, Senior Policy Advisor, Netherlands Helsinki Committee;
Andrey Kalikh, coordinator of the Expert Group On Combating Transborder Corruption;
Anastasia Kirilenko, journalist – The Insider;
Konstantin Rubakhin, coordinator of the Russian public movement “Save Khopyor”; independent blogger;
Atanas Tchobanov, editor-in-chief, Bulgarian investigative network Bivol.bg.