European citizens want more non-corrupt and transparent societies, with governments that govern with integrity. Millions of Europeans rely on their local government for essential services. They pay local taxes, pick up benefits and try to win procurement contracts. Ensuring integrity and fighting corruption at the local level is thus an essential pre-requisite for stability, prosperity and the rule of law in Europe. Transparency International Netherlands is therefore pleased to present its report on best practices in integrity systems in European local authorities. In this report, we share experiences of five local authorities in their fight for a more ethical local government. Since integrity is the condition for all activities of a government to be legitimate, trusted and effective, the integrity system can be argued to be the cornerstone condition for a well-functioning local authority.

Our comparison of the integrity systems of five local authorities focuses on the elements necessary for a high-quality and effective integrity system. The local authorities include: Rotterdam (the Netherlands), Vienna (Austria), Vilnius (Lithuania), South Dublin County (Ireland), and Diputación Foral de Gipuzkoa (Spain). Recommendations about the promotion of integrity systems in local authorities have been made based on the analysis of these local authorities.

In order to facilitate the exchange of best practices on integrity within local authorities, Transparency International Netherlands is organising a roundtable about integrity at the local level on the 25th of February, from 16:00 until 17:15 (CET). The roundtable will be in the form of a webinar. During this roundtable, the findings and recommendations of the report will be presented, and experiences of the participating local authorities will be shared.