The European Commission recognized the appointment of the Director for a full term as a step that ensured the Agency’s functionality, enabled further improvements in its work and contributed to strengthening its independence.

At the same time, the European Commission points to the need for further strengthening of the APC’s administrative and financial capacities, which the Agency itself recognizes as one of the key prerequisites for the full implementation of its mandate. The European Commission particularly emphasizes that the CPA’s financial independence has not yet been fully ensured, which represents a potential risk to its effective functioning.

The Non-Paper also notes that the overall impact of the Agency’s work remains limited. This finding further confirms the importance of continued improvement of the legislative framework, as well as the interoperability of the Agency’s databases with those of law enforcement authorities—an area on which the Agency has consistently advocated for progress and continues to work actively.

The European Commission has also highlighted the importance of connecting the APC’s information systems with those of other competent institutions in order to facilitate more efficient data exchange. The Agency is already making significant efforts to establish interoperability between the information systems of the APC, the Special State Prosecutor’s Office and the Police Directorate. As also recognized in the Non-Paper, this will contribute to strengthening the verification of asset declarations through improved connectivity with existing databases, establishing links with new databases, including public procurement and the Register of Beneficial Owners, and ensuring secure data exchange.

The European Commission also recognizes the need for further improvement of the legislative framework, including amendments to the Law on Prevention of Corruption, the adoption of a new Law on the Protection of Whistleblowers, and further development of the legal framework governing the financing of political entities.

The Agency’s efforts to strengthen the integrity of its own procedures were also positively assessed, including improvements to recruitment rules and the introduction of stricter criteria for integrity testing, in line with GRECO recommendations.

The European Commission’s findings confirm that positive progress has been made in the work of the Agency, while also identifying areas where further improvements are needed.

These are challenges that the Agency itself recognizes and has consistently highlighted. Therefore, in the period ahead, the Agency will remain committed to addressing them by strengthening its institutional capacities, improving the legislative framework, and ensuring the consistent implementation of European standards in the field of corruption prevention.