Recital 21

DIRECTIVE (EU) 2026/1021 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 29 April 2026 on combatting corruption, replacing Council Framework Decision 2003/568/JHA and the Convention on the fight against corruption involving officials of the European Communities or officials of Member States of the European Union and amending Directive (EU) 2017/1371 of the European Parliament and of the Council · European Union

(21) Illegal political financing can be a means of inducing decision-makers to take decisions which might be in the interest of the financer. Member States should consider taking appropriate action against types of illegal political financing in line with the principle of proportionality, and accountability and transparency rules at Union and national level, while fully respecting the fundamental freedoms of the internal market and the electoral rights of the Union citizens. While not regulated by this Directive, Member States could consider criminalising such illegal political financing where it represents a threat to the democracy of the Member States and the Union.

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Source: EUR-Lex (Cellar) · retrieved 2026-10-09 · Text as adopted (Official Journal); later amendments are not incorporated in this text.