Kick-off Meeting of SECURE: Strengthening the Rule of Law against Corruption

Corruption is a powerful driver of organised crime within the European Union, and the exposure of Member States has been highlighted by recent scandals. According to Europol’s recent report, today over 70% of the EU’s major criminal networks currently rely on corruption to move illicit assets, misappropriate public funds and exert undue influence over society and public opinion, undermining the rule of law in EU countries.

On 30 September and 1 October 2025, in Berlin, we met with the consortium of the SECURE project for the kick-off meeting. SECURE is a two-year, €1.8 million initiative awarded to Transcrime and 13 other partners, coordinated by Transparency International. It has been co-funded by the EU Internal Security Fund with the aim of strengthening Europe’s response to corruption and organised crime, by improving the tools, data, and cooperation for prevention and enforcement.

Also building on knowledge from past and ongoing projects, like DATACROS III, FALCON, and RESPOND, SECURE will:

• Enrich the EU’s Rule of Law reports by providing sharper evidence on corruption risks and obstacles to reform across Member States.
• Develop practical anomaly indicators to monitor which regions, sectors, and institutions are most exposed to evolving corruption threats.
• Co-create a public dashboard for data visualisation and risk management, using AI and integrated cross-border datasets.
• Deliver hands-on training for civil society, journalists, and public authorities to strengthen international cooperation and more effective anti-corruption monitoring.

Transcrime, as leader of WP2, will coordinate the development of advanced red-flag indicators focused on phenomena such as conflicts of interest, undue influence, and foreign interference. We will also co-develop the digital dashboard to visualise corruption risks and explore AI-based functionalities.