International

EPAC/EACN Conference in Montenegro: Focus on European cooperation and artificial intelligence

Around 180 experts from all over Europe discussed modern anti-corruption strategies in Budva, Montenegro, from 5 to 7 October 2026. The prestigious EPAC/EACN Award went to the Polish Central Anti-Corruption Bureau (CBA) with its innovative AI project ‘M-AI-A – Integrated AI Services Platform’. BAK Director, Otto Kerbl, and BAK Head of Department, Ernst Schmid, participated in the conference.

The 25th Annual Professional Conference and General Assembly of the European anti-corruption networks EPAC (European Partners against Corruption) and EACN (European contact-point network against corruption) brought together more than 180 high-level representatives of anti-corruption authorities, police oversight bodies and representatives of EU institutions and international organisations from over 30 European countries.

The three-day conference focused on the cross-border exchange of information and addressing modern challenges, in particular the protection of EU funds, the targeted use of data analytics and the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in investigation and prevention work. In addition to the local authorities, presentations were given by representatives of the European Commission, the Group of States against Corruption of the Council of Europe (GRECO), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), as well as EPPO (European Public Prosecutor’s Office), Eurojust (EU Judicial Cooperation Unit) and Europol (European Police Office).

BAK was represented by its director, Otto Kerbl, as well as by department head and EPAC/EACN vice president, Ernst Schmid, who moderated a plenary session and a breakout session as part of the event.

A particular highlight of the event was the 2026 EPAC/EACN award ceremony, which recognises each year the most innovative initiative to promote transparency and integrity. This year, the prestigious award went to the Polish Central Anti-Corruption Bureau (CBA). The CBA convinced the expert jury with their project "M-AI-A – Integrated AI Services Platform", a pioneering platform for integrated AI services in the fight against corruption.

The subsequent General Assembly proceeded with the continuous growth of the network: With the addition of the Supreme Prosecutor's Office of Montenegro, EPAC/EACN now comprises 127 institutions from 40 European countries.

The 26th EPAC/EACN Annual Professional Conference and General Assembly will take place in Vilnius, Lithuania on 25 and 26 May 2027.