Thank you Mr Chair,

I have the honor to deliver this statement on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.

The Candidate Countries North Macedonia*, Montenegro*, Serbia*, Albania*, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina* align themselves with this statement.

For the European Union, combating corruption remains a top priority at the global, regional, and national levels. Corruption is a pervasive issue that affects all aspects of public and private sectors, undermining the rule of law, human rights, and the public’s trust in democratic institutions. It poses a threat to security, exacerbates inequalities, erodes confidence in public institutions, and hinders good governance.

For these reasons, we have approached the negotiations on the omnibus corruption resolution with due attention, engaging in a constructive and meaningful manner. We put forward several proposals to strengthen and enhance the text, in line with international standards.

We regret that nearly all of our proposals were not accepted by the facilitator and, as a result, were not included in the final text. We note with concern that a number of issues essential to advancing the fight against corruption, including but not limited to the importance of ensuring a safe and enabling environment for civil society participation, have not been addressed. We express our hope that future deliberations on the resolution will follow a more balanced approach reflecting all parties’ views, including both the progress achieved and the concerns raised.

Notwithstanding our disappointment with the final outcome, the European Union was able to join consensus on the resolution just adopted. The European Union remains firmly committed to combating corruption and to advancing the strengthening of anti-corruption standards.

I thank you

* North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.