European Anticorruption Alliance Formed: France, Switzerland and the United Kingdom

The National Financial Prosecution Office (France), the Office of the Attorney General of the Swiss Confederation (Switzerland) and the Serious Fraud Office (UK) have recently founded an international anticorruption taskforce. The taskforce was created as a result of the serious financial harm that bribery and corruption is causing to the respective member countries and in recognition of the fact that the relevant criminal offences are often complex and international in nature. The taskforce’s founding aims are to:

1. Create a leader’s group focused on the regular exchange of insight and strategy.

2. Create a working group for the purposes of devising proposals for co-operation on criminal cases.

3. Increase best practice sharing to leverage the agencies’ combined expertise.

4. Strengthen the foundation for seizing opportunities for operational collaboration.

While international co-operation has always been strong amongst the member countries, the formalisation of this co-operation by way of a joint taskforce is a significant milestone for these agencies and is a strong public statement of intent that enforcement activity in the UK and Europe is only set to increase. This is a particularly interesting development given the fact that the US Department of Justice has indicated it is retreating from its typical role as an international policeman, at least to some degree. President Donald Trump issued an executive order in February 2025 directing the attorney general to pause most enforcement activity under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. There may have been a regulatory enforcement gap appearing on the horizon, but it appears that enforcement agencies on this side of the Atlantic are determined to fill any such gap.

Nick Ephgrave, director of the Serious Fraud Office, made the following statement: ‘The commitment we have made today reaffirms our individual and collective commitment to tackling the pernicious threat of international bribery and corruption, wherever it occurs.  We will make use of every power and partnership available to confront this criminality. This taskforce is an important step forward in our approach.’

This development should be seen in context with other material events in this space – such as the introduction of the failure to prevent fraud offence under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023, or the anticipated introduction of a US-style whistleblower remuneration scheme by HM Revenue & Customs. Companies operating in the UK or Europe more broadly should remain keenly aware that regulatory scrutiny and enforcement activity is likely to trend upward in the coming years, and they should be accordingly prepared. Taking a moment now to stop and kick the tyres of compliance and whistleblowing programmes could save significant time and expenditure down the road.

If you would like to discuss any compliance issues you may have, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with Tom Epps.