This Anti-Corruption Helpdesk brief was produced in response to a query from one of Transparency International’s national chapters. The Anti-Corruption Helpdesk is operated by Transparency International and funded by the European Union.
Query
What lessons and best practices from recent national anti-corruption strategies in Europe (and, where relevant, globally) can help inform the process of developing a roadmap towards a national anti-corruption strategy, with particular attention to exchange within and between relevant authorities and/or agencies and stakeholder consultation?
Summary
National anti-corruption strategies (NACS) are essential tools for coordinating and prioritizing measures to prevent and combat corruption. This Helpdesk Answer highlights the elements that make the development of NACS both coordinated and inclusive. Effective strategies rely on clearly defined drafting responsibilities supported by high-level political commitment to ensure coherence, impartiality, and legitimacy. Inter-agency coordination and engagement with sector-specific expertise strengthen implementation and foster ownership. Broad stakeholder consultation and meaningful public participation enhance relevance, legitimacy, and societal support. Transparency throughout the drafting process, accessible consultation mechanisms, and sufficient time and resources enable substantive engagement and evidence-based policy design.
Main points
- The forthcoming EU requirement for national anti-corruption strategies reinforces existing international commitments, but their impact will depend on whether they are developed through coordinated and inclusive processes rather than treated as formal compliance exercises.
- Assign drafting to a small, semi-autonomous body with technical expertise and broad consultative capacity, such as Bulgaria’s National Council for Anti-Corruption Policies or France’s AFA, to ensure coherence, impartiality, and stakeholder trust while avoiding turf battles among ministries.
- Secure high-level political support throughout the drafting process, including public endorsements, regular engagement, and framing anti-corruption as tied to national interests (e.g., economic growth, security, governance), as illustrated by the new UK strategy.
- Meaningful involvement of all relevant agencies (executive ministries, independent bodies, judiciary, local authorities, and others) is essential, as early and broad participation strengthens inter-agency coordination, fosters ownership, improves implementation, and ensures the strategy reflects the full range of risks, incentives, and technical realities across policy areas.
- Broad, multi-stakeholder engagement, including civil society, the private sector, media, academics, and the public, is essential. This approach enhances the legitimacy, relevance, and efficacy of national anti-corruption strategies and helps build allies to support and advance the strategy, as illustrated by Romania’s six-month consultation with 90 entities and Spain’s Foro de Gobierno Abierto.
- Structured, evidence-based consultation processes strengthen policy design while reducing risks. Using staged approaches, data-driven discussions, and participatory innovations, such as Lithuania’s Maps of Corruption or Mexico’s anti-corruption Datathons, helps ensure consultations produce actionable strategies and avoid consultation fatigue or unequal representation.
- Ensuring transparency and providing sufficient time and resources are critical for an effective strategy-drafting process. Accessible public consultation portals, clear responses to stakeholder input, well-publicized processes, and adequate consultation periods allow meaningful engagement.
Authors
Maria Constanza Castro
Reviewers
Laura Notess, Flora Cresswell (TI)
Date
08/04/2026
