The 20th Annual Conference and General Assembly of the two European anti-corruption networks – the European Partners against Corruption (EPAC) and the European contact-point network against corruption (EACN) – will take place in Vilnius on 1-2 December 2021. This is the first time such an event takes place in Lithuania.
The Special Investigation Service of the Republic of Lithuania (STT) is a host and organizer of this anniversary conference and it has invited partners from all over Europe to "re-think corruption". The participants of the conference will discuss the concepts of corruption and police oversight, as well as the place of anti-corruption activities among the priorities, activities and strategic planning of the Western democracy state. It will also be discussed whether the traditional law enforcement approach regarding corruption is sufficient and whether corruption should be understood more broadly, for instance, as one of the threats to prosperity, stability and national security of the state.
"We are glad to have the opportunity to organize the Annual Conference and the General Assembly of EPAC/EACN for the first time in Lithuania. The topic of this meeting is the "re-thinking" of the concept of corruption, which is very important, because systemic threats require a systemic response. It is clear that the disclosure of individual criminal offences is no longer sufficient to change substantially the situation. Therefore, in order to make meaningful changes, it is necessary to re-think corruption and agree on the strategic goals we will pursue across the Europe,” says STT Director Mr. Žydrūnas Bartkus.
The Vilnius Declaration will be signed during the EPAC / EACN Conference and the General Assembly. It is a final document of the conference, which seeks to address the members of the network, national governments, European Union institutions and international organizations with calls and proposals to futher strengthen anti-corruption commitments.
At the conference, speakers from international organizations, anti-corruption authorities, law enforcement agencies and the EPAC/EACN network will discuss and share their insights on the rule of law, corruption prevention and other relevant topics. The presentations by representatives of the European Commission's Directorate-General for Home Affairs, the European Public Prosecutor's Office, the OECD Anti-Corruption Division, national anti-corruption and police oversight institutions will be delivered at the conference.
This conference will elect the EPAC/EACN Board for a 2-year term and announce awards for the best initiatives in the area of anti-corruption. Currently, Ms. Rūta Kaziliūnaitė, Deputy Director of STT, is the Deputy Vice-President of the EPAC/EACN.
The annual conference will take place in a hybrid format. It is planned that more than 60 participants from 23 foreign countries and 41 institutions (France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain, Austria, Sweden, Denmark, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Ukraine, etc.) will take part onsite in the conference in Vilnius. Other members of the EPAC/EACN will be able to attend the conference remotely.
The European Partners against Corruption (EPAC) and European contact-point network against corruption (EACN) are two independent forums for practitioners, united in the common goal of preventing and combating corruption. STT is a member of EPAC/EACN. EPAC/EACN provide a platform for practitioners to exchange expertise and information in the sphere of anti-corruption and police oversight, assist each other, and advocate the implementation of international legal instruments.
