The European Union on Tuesday praised the Iraqi government and relevant authorities for their efforts in combating corruption, noting that Iraq advanced 14 points in the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index (TIPI) as a result of these ongoing reforms.

EU Ambassador to Iraq, Clemens Semtner, stated, “Today marks the launch of the second phase of the EU-funded project ‘Strengthening Arbitration and Combating Corruption for Environmental Justice,’ which aims to support Iraq’s economic development.” He added that EU funding helps ensure the project’s effectiveness and credibility.

Semtner noted that the completion of the first phase contributed to strengthening the administrative structure of the Iraqi bodies responsible for fighting corruption, in addition to efforts to build the capacity of investigative journalists working to expose corruption.

He continued, “In 2024, Iraq advanced 14 points in the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index,” emphasizing that this improvement is “strong evidence of the work carried out by the competent authorities in Iraq in combating corruption.”

The ambassador also highlighted that the effects of climate change have become the responsibility of every Iraqi citizen, not only official institutions, stressing the need for collective participation in addressing environmental challenges.

Semtner explained that the second phase of the project, “Initiatives to Strengthen Arbitration and Combat Corruption for Environmental Justice,” aims to examine how climate protection efforts can be linked with anti-corruption mechanisms, noting that specific programs have already been developed to achieve these goals.