In a previous post for BriberyMatters, I covered the so-called Flamingo Revolution protests, which erupted in Albania against the construction of two resorts, one on a stretch of formerly-protected coastline and the other on a nearby island that was formerly a military site. For this second part of the series, to better understand the underlying dynamics of the situation, I spoke with Esmeralda Ballesha, an Albanian consultant with deep experience in governance, business deve

While the promise of dramatic reforms following Hungary’s April elections has captured headlines, that same month saw another major anti-corruption development in Europe. On April 22, a Moldovan court sentenced former politician, oligarch and power broker Vladimir Plahotniuc to 19 years in prison for his role in the 2014 theft of $1 billion from three Moldovan banks, which had also implicated a number of other business and political leaders.

While the promise of dramatic reforms following Hungary’s April elections has captured headlines, that same month saw another major anti-corruption development in Europe. On April 22, a Moldovan court sentenced former politician, oligarch and power broker Vladimir Plahotniuc to 19 years in prison for his role in the 2014 theft of $1 billion from three Moldovan banks, which had also implicated a number of other business and political leaders.

In November 2025 for BriberyMatters, I examined the status of Ukraine’s ongoing fight against corruption. With the next annual Ukraine Recovery Conference taking place in several weeks in Gdansk, Poland, it is a good moment to return to the question of how to ensure transparency in the reconstruction process, and, in particular, the role of businesses in the effort.

On April 15, 2026, Democratic Congressman Joe Morelle announced a new Anti-Corruption and Democracy Reform Task Force. Some of those advising House Democrats on the task force have framed the effort as taking a political lesson from Hungary, where Viktor Orbán's April 12 defeat was driven to great extent by popular frustration over a well-documented record of corruption. It is important to note, however, that Rep. Morelle has given the task force a broad and nonpartisan frami

On April 12, 2026, the world watched as Péter Magyar and his Tisza party defeated former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party, ending former Orbán’s 16 years in power. The results were widely celebrated as a victory for liberal democracy in Europe, a rebuke to an international far-right alliance, and as a chance to reverse the corruption that characterized Fidesz’s rule. An election that many thought would be close delivered an unprecedented mandate, with Tisza winning