GOPAC-Europe is a non-partisan group of parliamentarians from across Europe, from national parliaments as well as the European Parliament, who all share a common commitment to fighting corruption and promoting transparency. Founded by three Members of the European Parliament, Edith Mastenbroek (The Netherlands), Bill Newton-Dunn (Great Britain), and Carl Schlyter (Sweden), the organization acts as the regional chapter of GOPAC in Europe, which already has regional chapters in Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and Asia.

Related Documents
	www.meddelarfrihet.nu
	Constitution

GOPAC-Europe's launch on April 12, 2005 gathered parliamentarians at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, to introduce the organization to the public. Beyond GOPAC-Europe's commitment to the main goals of GOPAC - education of parliamentarians in their oversight role, peer support, and the establishment of clear objectives - this new organization will embark on several initiatives which are particularly relevant to fighting corruption in the European context.

European Chapter Holds Elections

Rodica Stanoiu (MP, Romania), Jacques Tennay from TI France, Alain Destexhe (Senator, Belgium) and Stuart Gilman (UNODC)

The European chapter of the Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption (GOPAC), held a conference on January 13th  in the French National Assembly to elect its board and to debate ways of confronting the problem of corruption in Europe. Michel Hunault, deputy in the French National Assembly, co-hosted the event along with Edith Mastenbroek, Member of the European Parliament from the Netherlands. To read the press release CLICK HERE

Launch of the Chapter

Three Members of the European Parliament, Edith Mastenbroek (NL-PES), Bill Newton Dunn (UK-ALDE) and Carl Schlyter (Sweden-Greens) launch GOPAC-Europe, the European chapter of the Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption (GOPAC). For more information on the chapter and this event click here

Workplan:

• Lend moral and technical support to those individuals or groups in Europe and abroad who are taking great personal risk to fight corruption and promote transparency in their countries;
  
• Advocate whistle-blowing as a method of fighting corruption, which will be facilitated by a new whistle-blowing web portal - www.whistleblower.nu;
  
• Participate in GOPAC training programs to improve parliamentary oversight capabilities;
  
• Engage in peer-support programs that will partner European parliamentarians with parliamentarians abroad to gather and share best practices in fighting corruption and promoting transparency;

Right to Inform

A new whistle-blowing web portal was created as a first activity of GOPAC-Europe, www.meddelarfrihet.nu (meaning "right to inform" in Swedish). Carl Schlyter, the initiator of the website, said: "This portal will give Europeans an anonymous method of reporting the corruption they witness, while at the same time alerting parliamentarians to the types of corruption going on in Europe today - this can then translate into solid action on the part of GOPAC-Europe."