The conference-debate on “investigative journalism and the role of national parliaments in combating corruption” marked the official launch of the PACE anti-corruption platform, a new forum for dialogue and cooperation on this fundamental threat to European values.

The event was opened by PACE President, Ms. Anne Brasseur, who reiterated the commitment to making the fight against corruption one of the priorities of her presidency.

Mrs. Gülsün Bilgehan, vice-Chairperson of the sub-committee on Media and Information Society, and Mrs. Nataša Vučković, Chairperson of the Committee on Rules of Procedure, Immunities and Institutional Affairs, also attended the meeting.

Three experts contributed to the discussion and to the success of this initiative: Ms. Khadija Ismayilova made a presentation on corrupt practices within the public sector in Azerbaijan; Mr. Paul Radu illustrated some investigations conducted by his organization “Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project”; while Johann Bihr, from Reporters Without Borders, concentrated on the link between press freedom and the fight against corruption.

If you missed the event, you can watch the webcast here: http://clients.dbee.com/coe/webcast/index.php?id=20140408-4&lang=en