The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) is directly involved in a number of judicial diplomatic actions. These actions precede and strengthen traditional judicial and police cooperation, and take place alongside economic diplomacy.

Judicial diplomacy is achieved through systematic action to promote harmonised legislation, technical assistance and an institutional presence in economic activities, in terms of integrity, to support socio-economic contexts that are legally focussed on sustainable growth.

Judicial diplomacy has helped bridge the gap between the reality of Italy’s socio-economic and institutional system and its representation abroad.

Maeci – Fighting bribery and corruption

The Coordination panel, which SIMEST is a member of and participates in, directly monitors the main international law courts where general principles of soft law and standards on fighting bribery and corruption are drawn up, and supports Italy’s position in the evaluations and revisions foreseen by UNCAC and OECD Conventions, and by the OECD Recommendations of 2009 and 2021, the Council of Europe’s Anti-corruption body, GRECO, and by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

The OECD Report, published on 13 October 2022, concerns the fourth phase evaluation of Italy. The Report was approved by the OECD Working Group on Bribery in International Business Transactions.

The OECD’s recent Anti-Bribery Report on Italy classified the activity of the Anti-Bribery and Corruption Panel as a good practice.

Italy – OECD Anti-Bribery Convention

In view of the aforementioned OECD Report, MAECI and SIMEST have agreed to consolidate their work together to contribute to preventing and fighting against bribery and corruption in all its forms.

The document’s recommendations include the request to make Italian companies operating abroad more aware of the risk of bribery and corruption.

The cooperation between MAECI, the administration which owns the measure “M1.C2.I5” – “Refinancing and redefinition of Fund 394/81”, and SIMEST, covers, among other things, the consolidation of Italian businesses’ awareness of the risks of international bribery that they may come up against on foreign markets.

Preventing bribery is a cornerstone of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan.

Executive Summary – phase 4 – Italy

Adoption of the OECD’s Anti-Bribery Convention in Italy: phase 4 report