The document, whose development began in 2023, was provisionally agreed by the Parliament and the Council in December 2025 and approved by the Committee on Civil Liberties in January 2026. Its objective is to harmonise criminal law provisions and reduce the risk of “forum shopping,” where offenders exploit differences between national legal systems to evade liability.

The Directive establishes minimum standards for the criminalisation of corruption offences in EU Member States, including harmonised definitions of acts such as bribery, misappropriation of funds and obstruction of justice. It also sets out common approaches to sanctions by defining a unified level of maximum prison sentences, while allowing Member States to introduce stricter penalties.

The Directive further requires Member States to develop national anti-corruption strategies and to strengthen cooperation with EU bodies, including the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, Europol and Eurojust.

Following its entry into force, Member States will have two years to transpose the Directive, as well as an additional period to develop and submit national anti-corruption plans.