EL 
EN 
More than 500 members of the student and academic community, as well as officials from public institutions, participated in the 5th NTA Integrity Forum on the occasion of International Anti-Corruption Day.
This year’s NTA forum, titled: Building a Future with Values: Youth and a Culture of Integrity, focused on the student community of the law and political science departments at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and the public administration department at Panteion University, with the aim of informing them about the work of the National Transparency Authority (NTA) and raising their awareness and engagement on issues of transparency, public accountability, ethics, and civic participation.
Greetings were delivered by:
The Governor of the National Transparency Authority, Ms. Alexandra Rogakou, who noted in her remarks that: “The goal of this year’s forum is to inform the younger generation—our students, the future professionals of the public and private sectors—about the role and work of the Authority. It is an opportunity, as she said, to discuss how we can build a cleaner and fairer future together. Corruption is not an abstract concept. It is something that affects our daily lives, the opportunities we have as a society, and the quality of our democracy. The National Transparency Authority is here precisely for this reason. To ensure that the rules are followed, to strengthen transparency, to coordinate the national anti-corruption strategy, and ultimately, above all, to defend the public interest.”
The Rector of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Professor Gerasimos Siasos, stated that: “The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, with its long academic tradition and fundamental public role, actively contributes to this collective effort and has incorporated the promotion of transparency and good governance into its strategic planning.
We believe that education in integrity is a fundamental component of our academic mission. We cultivate in our students not only scientific skills but also a foundation of values that enables them to act with consistency, responsibility, and respect for the public interest. In this context, our collaboration with the National Transparency Authority takes on substantive meaning: it fosters conditions for fruitful dialogue, provides tools for understanding contemporary institutional challenges, and strengthens young people’s preparation for the roles they will be called upon to assume in society and public life.”
The Dean of the School of Political Science, Professor Despoina Papadopoulou, in her welcoming remarks, referred to the obstacles that exist in the implementation of institutional safeguards and, as she said, “the greatest problem historically recorded in the fight against corruption is society’s lack of trust in the state.” She spoke of the necessity of inclusion, substantive equality, and social justice.
The Secretary General for Sports, Mr. Georgios Mavrotas, emphasized that: “In sports, we have two words that express integrity: FAIR PLAY. In many cases, our first encounter with integrity comes through sports, through athletic integrity. That is why I say that sports are not just medals, trophies, and titles; they are a great school
If there is a key word for integrity, it is respect
Respect for the rules, both written and unwritten…
Respect for people…
Respect even for differing opinions…
And finally, self-respect—striving to hold ourselves in high regard.
Congratulations to the NTA for its initiative to instill in young citizens concepts such as integrity and values—concepts that serve as a compass for our entire lives.”
During the first thematic session, policies and tools for corruption prevention were discussed, specifically,
Mr. George Kasapas, Deputy Head of the Strategic Planning and Behavioral Analysis Directorate at NTA, presented the institutional and operational framework of the NTA in the areas of prevention and awareness-raising, focusing on the results of its reform efforts and the challenges of the coming period.
Ms. Mary Konstantinidou, Head of the General Directorate of Integrity and Accountability at NTA, noted that “the future of integrity is not a matter for ‘experts’ alone. It is a collective process that combines education, dialogue, creativity, experience, and participation. And this is precisely what the NTA’s proposals aim to achieve. Through significant initiatives it has undertaken, such as the proposal to implement a Special Sectoral Strategy for Raising Awareness within the Educational Community on Issues of Integrity and Corruption, which, through actions that also involve higher education students, aims to give them the tools to recognize, avoid, and resist corruption wherever they encounter it, now and in the future. In other words, it is creating specialized professionals in transparency—a new generation of “guardians of integrity.”
Ms. Aikaterini Perrou, Assistant Professor at the Law School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, spoke about corruption prevention, which, as she said, is a key priority for a public administration that seeks to operate with transparency and credibility. The key lies not only in controls and penalties, but primarily in fostering an anti-corruption culture.
Every change in legislation and public sector procedures must be designed with a consistent and overarching principle in mind: how can we reduce the likelihood of corruption? Even measures that do not have this as their direct objective must be examined through this lens and serve this goal.
At the same time, the expansion of digital services and the replacement of in-person contact with impersonal, electronic procedures drastically limit opportunities for improper interference.
The message is clear: prevention is not a supplementary measure, but the most effective defense against corruption.
Ms. Evangelia Balta, Associate Professor, Department of Public Administration, Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences, approached the phenomenon of corruption as a timeless and global—not merely Greek—phenomenon that requires an interdisciplinary approach, emphasized the fact that the National Transparency Authority, although not constitutionally enshrined, finds its constitutional foundation in key constitutional principles that serve as the basis for the principle of transparency, and focused on these principles, as well as on the guarantees of constitutional compliance, which also serve as safeguards against corruption.
During the second thematic session, the results of a nationwide public opinion survey conducted on behalf of the National Transparency Authority (NTA) were presented, with the aim of capturing citizens’ perceptions, attitudes, and personal experiences regarding corruption.
The survey was conducted by the National Transparency Authority in collaboration with the research firm Palmos Analysis. It included 1,001 men and women, aged 18 and older, with proportional representation across the country’s 13 regions.
Alongside the presentation of the survey and with the help of the Mentimeter platform, participants took part in a corresponding, anonymous online poll, allowing us to discuss and compare the results of the two processes.
This initiative is being implemented as part of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan “Greece 2.0,” funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU.