The reforms carried out during this last year and part of the previous one, as well as the approval of Law 5/2025, end up dismantling the AVAF as an independent office for the fight against corruption.
Since 2019, the undersigned civil society organizations have played a fundamental role in the Citizen Participation Council of the Valencian Anti-Fraud Agency (AVAF). This body, created under the regulations governing its operation and internal rules, pursuant to Law 11/2016, of November 28, of the Generalitat (Catalan Government), in addition to serving as a channel of communication and accountability between the agency and civil society, was also a key forum for advising on strategic decisions in the fight against corruption in the Valencian Community.
Since July 2024, a series of reforms and structural changes have been implemented at the AVAF, seriously compromising its mission and operations. The new Code of Conduct, approved on May 20, 2025, marked a turning point by contradicting international standards of transparency and integrity and lowering standards compared to the previous one. The situation worsened with the entry into force of Law 5/2025 on June 1, which eliminated the Citizen Participation Council, eliminating an essential space for civil society participation and the last remaining institutional checks and balances.
These decisions not only represent a blow to the basic principles of transparency and open government under which the Council was created, but also definitively dismantle the independent nature of the AVAF as an institution to combat corruption in the Valencian Community.
We have been denouncing all the regulatory nonsense for the past year and a half, and today we must call on citizens to become aware of the seriousness of this situation and demand that public institutions act with integrity and commitment to the common interest.
The elimination of the Participation Council is not a mere technical adjustment; it is a political declaration: the definitive renunciation of citizen oversight mechanisms and the dismantling of independent authorities that fight corruption. Today, we are witnessing a clear attack on an institution that is part of the controls and guarantees of democracy. Therefore, it is essential that, as a society, we take a firm stand against this setback and demand the restoration of a truly autonomous, independent, and effective agency.
The undersigned organizations will not remain silent. This legislative decision not only affects the Valencian Community but also Spain as a Member State of the EU. We will continue to denounce every setback, every backward step, every attempt to hide accountability and to fail to pursue corruption within the framework of EU requirements.