Article 20 — Prevention of corruption

1. Member States shall take appropriate action, such as information and awareness-raising campaigns, to raise awareness among the public and in the private sector on the impact and harmfulness of corruption with the objective of reducing the overall commission of corruption offences as well as the risk of corruption. 2. Member States shall take measures to ensure a high level of integrity, transparency and accountability in public administration and public decision-making with a view to preventing corruption. Member States shall promote a public service culture based on those principles, ensuring that national officials and administrations continue to develop their capacity to uphold adequate professional standards, and their awareness of conflict-of-interest situations and of the risks of corruption. 3. Member States shall take measures to ensure that preventive tools are in place. Those tools may include, for instance, appropriate access to information of public interest, rules for the disclosure and management of conflicts of interest in the public sector, measures to ensure transparency in the funding of candidatures for elected public officials and political parties, rules for asset declarations and verification of such declarations, interest declarations by national officials designated by national law and regulation of revolving-door situations involving such officials, rules regarding failure to report substantial assets or interests, and rules regulating the interaction between the private and the public sector. 4. Member States shall ensure that measures to prevent corruption in both the public and private sectors, are available and tailored to the specific risks of an area of activity. Such measures shall at least include activities to strengthen integrity and to prevent opportunities for corruption among: (a) high-level officials; (b) law enforcement and judicial authorities, including measures relating to their appointment and conduct. 5. Member States shall, within appropriate intervals, perform an assessment to identify the sectors or occupations most at risk of corruption and develop measures to address the main risks in the sectors or occupations identified. 6. Following the assessment referred in paragraph 5, Member States shall, as appropriate, regularly organise awareness-raising activities adapted to the specificities of the sectors or occupations identified, including on ethics. 7. Where appropriate, Member States shall take measures to promote the participation of civil society, academia, non-governmental organisations and community-based organisations in anti-corruption activities.