At the College of Europe’s 2023 graduation ceremony, Transparency International EU’s prize for the best master’s thesis on the European Union’s role in anti-corruption efforts or the transparency, integrity and accountability of the EU’s institutions was awarded to European Political and Governance Studies graduate Sören Schneider. Sören’s thesis covered the establishment of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), arguing that both the EU Commission and the EU Member States were motivated in its establishment by a desire to delegate real operational powers to a supranational criminal justice authority. The EPPO’s role is to investigate and prosecute matters that harm the EU’s financial interests, such as fraud, money laundering and corruption.
Transparency International EU has sponsored the annual prize at the College of Europe for the best master’s thesis on the European Union’s role in anti-corruption efforts or the transparency, integrity and accountability of the EU’s institutions since 2016. It is intended to encourage budding scholars and policymakers to engage critically with fundamental questions of democratic and transparent policymaking in the EU. The prize consists of a tuition scholarship to the Transparency International School on Integrity (TISI), taking place in Vilnius in 2024. The School is an “annual state-of-the-art anti-corruption and accountability training event for future leaders. [TISI] exposes its participants to the latest developments in the field of anti-corruption and accountability and offers real opportunities to try and implement their ideas in practice.“
Shari Hinds, TI EU Policy Officer for EU Political Integrity, who led the selection process and attended the ceremony, said “The establishment of the EPPO has constituted a fundamental step in addressing major fraud and corruption concerns at EU level. It is fantastic to see the importance of such an institution being recognised in such high-quality academic work.”
Those interested can read the thesis in its entirety here. Congratulations, Sören!