On 28 September 2026, the US notified the Council of Europe that it will withdraw from GRECO with effect from 1 January 2027. According to media reports, the US State Department stated that participation in the organisation requires an annual financial contribution but “does not provide tangible benefits to US national security.” It added that the US will instead prioritise "higher-impact tools", such as visa restrictions, sanctions and targeted foreign assistance aimed at strengthening investigations into corruption that directly threatens US security and prosperity.

In response, the Council of Europe said that the US has been a “valuable contributor” to GRECO and said the group “remains open to resuming cooperation with the United States in the future in support of shared efforts to prevent corruption, strengthen integrity and uphold the rule of law”.

GRECO was established in 1999 to monitor states’ compliance with anti-corruption standards developped by the Council of Europe. The US joined GRECO in 2000, making it one of only two non-European members, alongside Kazakhstan. The US is only the third country to leave GRECO, after Russia in 2023 and Belarus in 2024.

The US took part in all five of GRECO's evaluation rounds. The report on the US from the fifth evaluation round was published on 12 December 2023 (→eucrim 4/2023, 335). In this report, GRECO acknowledged that "comprehensive legislation is implemented by the United States to promote integrity and prevent corruption in the Executive Branch through a robust institutional mechanism." To mark GRECO's anniversary in 2024, the US State Department praised "the important work of GRECO over the last 25 years in mobilizing international action in countering corruption."