According to a report by The Associated Press on September 30, the Trump administration has led the United States to withdraw from a European anti-corruption watchdog agency. At the same time, it is pushing plans to disengage from some international and multilateral organizations, and criticizes these organizations for exceeding their mandates, being inefficient, or failing to adapt to U.S. policies.
The European Commission stated on the 29th that the United States officially notified it a day earlier of its intention to withdraw from the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO). Previously, only two other countries had withdrawn from GRECO—Russia and Belarus.
The United States Department of State confirmed this move, stating that US participation requires annual membership fees. However, the organization “does not provide any tangible benefits to US national security.”
The United States Department of State stated: “The era of issuing blank checks to international bureaucracies has come to an end.” The Department will prioritize using more effective tools to combat corruption, such as visa restrictions, sanctions, and targeted foreign aid, in order to strengthen criminal investigations into countries that engage in corrupt activities that threaten the safety and prosperity of the United States.
The European Commission, headquartered in Strasbourg, stated that the United States was a "valuable contributor" to GRECO, "contributing to the exchange of experiences and good practices for preventing and combating corruption."
This organization said in a statement: “GRECO remains willing to resume cooperation with the United States in the future, to support joint efforts in preventing corruption, strengthening transparency and accountability, and upholding the rule of law.”
This decision was announced a week ago, when the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe stated that the United States had refused to invite organization members to observe the mid-term elections in November, which was a clear departure from previous practices.
It is reported that the United States has withdrawn from a series of United Nations and multilateral organizations based in Europe, including the World Health Organization and the United Nations Human Rights Council, and is considering taking more such actions.
In January this year, the United States also withdrew from another European Commission agency—the Venice Commission, a constitutional and legal advisory body.
GRECO was established by the European Council in 1999 to oversee compliance with anti-corruption standards among its members. Its membership is not limited to EU member states; the United States joined the organization one year after its establishment.
