Monaco has published by Sovereign Ordinance new ethical guidelines for members of the government, as it takes another important step towards meeting the Council of Europe’s anti-corruption standards.
According to a government statement on Monday 24th July, Sovereign Ordinance No. 9.931 had been published in the official Journale de Monaco on 15th June 2023, strengthening its system for the prevention of corruption and “confirming its desire to change its regulations to comply with international standards”.
The text establishes a specific legal regime for the ethics of members of the government, and therefore allows the Principality to comply with the requirements of the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) on the prevention of corruption and the promotion of integrity within central governments and law enforcement agencies, according to the government.
New ethical standards for government members
The law states that members of the Prince’s government must exercise their powers with “loyalty, dignity, probity, disinterestedness, impartiality, objectivity and professional discretion”.
Among the other provisions of the law is the establishment of a declaration of assets and a declaration of interests; the establishment of a specific procedure to prevent “revolving doors” when a member of the government plans to exercise a private activity upon leaving office; reinforcement of the gift traceability system; and the creation of an Ethics Committee and the appointment of an ethics officer.
Complying with Europe’s best practices
Monaco joined the Council of Europe’s Criminal Law Convention on Corruption in 2007 and the Partial Agreement that created GRECO. By 2008, Monaco had entered the evaluation phase and, according to the government, many legislative and regulatory advances have been made in the fight against corruption since.
The fifth evaluation round of Monaco by the GRECO team is scheduled for 20th to 24th November 2023.
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