Fighting Corruption in the EU’s Eastern Neighborhood

Corruption is increasingly understood as a factor in many crises Europe faces in its neighborhood. From the East-West standoff in Ukraine to mass migration and its causes, corruption is a surreptitious underlying driver.

Yet decisionmakers, the private sector, and civil society often lack a clear understanding of the structure and operations of these kleptocratic networks, and as a result they cannot deal effectively with this phenomenon. In the lead-up to the first major international anticorruption summit, to be held in London in May 2016, Carnegie Europe will unveil a paradigm-challenging framework for analyzing corruption.

Sarah Chayes, author of the acclaimed book Thieves of State: Why Corruption Threatens Global Security, and Miranda Patrucić, regional editor and investigative journalist at the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project in Sarajevo, looked to the East of the EU to diagnose distorted government structures, captured revenue streams, enablers, and network vulnerabilities. Thomas de Waal, senior associate at Carnegie Europe, in turn focused on Ukraine—a textbook case of a structured kleptocracy—that today stands at a historic turning point and is struggling to dismantle a corrupt system. Carl Dolan, director of the Transparency International EU Office, moderated.

Sarah Chayes

Sarah Chayes is a senior associate in the Democracy and Rule of Law Program and the South Asia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Miranda Patrucić

Miranda Patrucić is a regional editor and investigative journalist at the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project.

Thomas de Waal

Thomas de Waal is a senior associate at Carnegie Europe.

Carl Dolan

Carl Dolan is the director of the Transparency International EU Office.