Council of Europe adopts self-assessment tool to prevent corruption in municipalities

The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe adopted a new checklist for preventing corruption and promoting integrity in municipalities in Strasbourg on 27 October 2026. It is a practical self-assessment tool that helps local governments identify corruption risks and improve their internal control systems. Latvia's Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau (KNAB) regards it as complementary to its own measures.

What the checklist covers

Municipalities are encouraged to review the anti-corruption mechanisms they already have, find gaps and plan improvements. The questions are grouped into seven areas:

• anti-corruption strategy and risk assessment;
• standards of conduct;
• recruitment and remuneration;
• management of conflicts of interest;
• transparency of governance and public participation;
• public procurement;
• use of resources in the electoral process.

The tool particularly stresses systematic risk assessment, the responsibility of municipal leadership and effective anti-corruption measures.

KNAB's work in Latvia

In 2025, KNAB and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) developed a methodology for assessing the effectiveness of internal anti-corruption control systems. The bureau is now carrying out a national corruption risk assessment, one of the tasks in the Corruption Prevention and Combating Plan for 2026–2027, drawing on methodological recommendations from OECD experts.

As part of this assessment, KNAB will examine risks in all Latvian municipalities, analysing the data they provide and comparing their practices in corruption prevention and integrity. Unlike the checklist, which municipalities use independently, KNAB's assessment will provide a comparative picture. Both aim to identify possible risks early rather than establish specific violations. The results are to be used to improve risk-reduction measures and to shape data-based anti-corruption policy.

Link to GRECO

The checklist is also tied to the sixth evaluation round of the Council of Europe's Group of States against Corruption (GRECO), which for the first time looks at municipal-level prevention and integrity. Latvia is currently being evaluated, and the report is due to be considered at a GRECO plenary on 18 November 2026. It will include recommendations for improving the corruption prevention and integrity system.