Transparency International Ireland’s Head of Policy and Research, Alexander Chance, met with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset, on 24 April at Iveagh House, Dublin, as part of a group of Irish civil society representatives. The meeting was convened by the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission and provided an opportunity for civil society to raise and discuss a variety of topics relevant to the Council of Europe’s work on human rights, democracy and the rule of law.
Dr Chance thanked the Secretary General for the Council of Europe’s continued efforts on tackling corruption and promoting good governance via its Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) peer review mechanism, noting in particular GRECO’s recommendations to strengthen Ireland’s political integrity measures – including enhancing and reforming the public ethics framework by replacing it with a uniform, consolidated and values-based normative framework. He also raised the issue of illicit finance and its role in undermining democracy across Europe, highlighting TI Ireland’s concerns around continued weak links in the State’s protections against dirty money, and discussed with the Secretary General the particular vulnerabilities of crypto-assets in this regard.