The 16th Annual Professional Conference and General Assembly came to a successful close in Riga on 17 November 2016

The 16th Annual Professional Conference and General Assembly came to a successful close in Riga on 17 November 2016. Close to 100 delegates representing more than 50 members had a fruitful discussion of latest developments, elected a new President, and adopted the 2016 Riga Declaration.

The Latvian Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau (KNAB) generously hosted this year's conference, providing a stimulating environment for the delegates. Several plenary sessions and workshops addressed critical issues such as the role of the private sector, the fight against high-level corruption, and revolving doors. Other topics on the agenda included detecting, fighting, and preventing corruption in the police, as well as a comparative analysis of the links between disciplinary and judicial procedures.

Several members shared their stories of successful corruption prevention campaigns while also highlighting challenges, giving delegates a deeper understanding of the issues involved. An equally practical approach characterized a dedicated session on landmark cases, investigation techniques, and international investigations.

The delegates also received updates from the President of the Council of Europe's Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) on the fifth round of evaluations, and from the European Commission on integrity and anti-corruption policies at EU level. The full programme can be found here.

During the General Assembly the delegates expressed their sincere thanks to Mr. Giovanni Kessler, who had been President of the networks for the last four years, and to Mr. Anthony Duggan, Deputy Vice President (Police Oversight), for their work. Mr. Andreas Wieselthaler, director of the Austrian anti-corruption authority BAK, was elected as the new President of EPAC/EACN. He will be supported by the current Vice Presidents Ms. Dominique Devos and Ms. Anca Jurma, as well as the newly elected Deputy Vice Presidents: Ms. Ruta Kaziliunaite, Head of the Legal and International Cooperation Division of the Special Investigation Services of Lithuania (Anti-Corruption), and Ms. Monique Stirn, General Inspector of Police of Luxembourg (Police Oversight). Mr. Kessler was appointed Honorary Member of EPAC in recognition of his contribution to the network's development.

The General Assembly adopted the Riga Declaration and accepted the General Inspection of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia as a new member, and the Regional Anti-Corruption Initiative (RAI) as an observer.