Summary
The Federal Council decided on January 28, 2026 to implement the 15 improvement proposals from GRECO (Council of Europe Group of States Against Corruption). The recommendations primarily aim at reducing corruption risks in senior executive positions. Several administrative mandates were issued with a deadline of end of 2026 to advance the measures. A compliance report is planned for spring 2027.
Persons & Institutions
- Federal Council
- GRECO (Groupe d'Etats contre la corruption)
- Council of Europe
Topics
- Anti-corruption
- Governance & Transparency
- Executive Compliance
- International Standards
Detailed Summary
As part of the 5th evaluation report, GRECO – the Council of Europe group of states against corruption – formulated 15 concrete improvement proposals for Switzerland. The focus is on minimizing corruption risks in the highest executive positions, an area of central importance for the integrity of public administration.
The Federal Council discussed these recommendations at its meeting on January 28, 2026 and decided to implement them actively. To this end, several administrative mandates were issued with a deadline of end of 2026. These mandates are intended to ensure that the necessary structural and procedural changes are initiated.
Switzerland will regularly inform GRECO of progress in implementation work. Based on these reports, GRECO is expected to publish an initial compliance report in spring 2027, which will assess Switzerland's progress.
Key Statements
- The Federal Council has committed to implementing all 15 GRECO recommendations
- Focus: Corruption prevention in senior executive positions
- Implementation deadline: End of 2026
- Compliance review by GRECO planned for spring 2027
- Transparency mechanism: Regular reporting to international oversight body
Stakeholders & Affected Parties
| Stakeholder | Role |
|---|---|
| Federal Council | Implementation responsibility |
| Federal Administration | Operational implementation |
| GRECO | Monitoring & evaluation |
| Public | Beneficiary of increased integrity |
| Executive Offices | Affected by new compliance requirements |
Opportunities & Risks
| Opportunities | Risks |
|---|---|
| Strengthening Switzerland's international credibility | Administrative burden during implementation |
| Increased transparency and trustworthiness | Resistance to new controls |
| Prevention of corruption cases | Insufficient resource allocation |
| Better governance standards | Delayed implementation by end of 2026 |
Action Relevance
Decision-makers should:
- Concretize and resource implementation plans by end of 2026
- Prepare compliance training for executive offices
- Establish monitoring mechanisms to document progress
- Maintain transparent communication with GRECO
- Use compliance report spring 2027 as deadline for partial implementations
Quality Assurance & Fact-Checking
- [x] Central statements and data verified
- [x] Official source: news.admin.ch (Swiss Government)
- [x] Publication date correct: January 28, 2026
- [x] No unconfirmed speculation
Supplementary Research
- GRECO Evaluation Reports: Official reports of the Council of Europe group of states against corruption
- Swiss Corruption Prevention: Federal Office of Justice (BAJ) – Compliance and Integrity
- European Governance Standards: Council of Europe – Anti-Corruption Framework
Sources
Primary Source:
Federal Council Press Release – «Federal Council Issues Mandates to Implement GRECO Recommendations»
Published: January 28, 2026
https://www.news.admin.ch/de/newnsb/p5-QJQCb1UQy
Supplementary Sources:
- GRECO – Council of Europe Group of States Against Corruption (www.coe.int/greco)
- Federal Office of Justice – Integrity and Compliance (www.bj.admin.ch)
- Council of Europe – Anti-Corruption Standards
Verification Status: ✓ Facts checked on January 28, 2026
This text was created with the support of Claude.
Editorial responsibility: clarus.news | Fact-checking: January 28, 2026