No area is free from corruption, but certain areas may present higher risks than others. These are areas that involve management of significant public funds or access to critical services, such as health care. On 4 November 2024, the Commission published its study, High-risk areas of corruption in EU Member States: a mapping and in-depth analysis, which was contracted in 2023 to identify areas most at risk of corruption and provide an in-depth analysis of the nature of and reasons behind these risks.

Six EU-wide sectors emerged as high-risk areas of corruption where the Commission will be prioritising actions: healthcare, finance, public procurement, defence and security, construction and infrastructure, and sports. This is because they all affect a broad cross-section of populations, communities, employees, and consumers across the EU and provide basic, everyday products and services on which everyone living in the EU depends.  

View the Study here