Executive Order 13240: Council of Europe in Respect of the Group of States Against Corruption
President: George W. Bush
Designated the Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption, known as GRECO, as a public international organization entitled to the privileges, exemptions and immunities available under the International Organizations Immunities Act.
Status: In effect as amended.
Is Executive Order 13240 still in effect? Yes. Active as amended; United States remains a GRECO member.
What does Executive Order 13240 do?
The order assigned these duties: Federal authorities — Recognize GRECO’s statutory privileges, exemptions and immunities; Justice and State Departments — Represent and coordinate United States participation in GRECO reviews.
Verified the GRECO designation under the International Organizations Immunities Act and checked EO 13261’s amendment. The designation is not described as creating membership; the United States’ separate GRECO participation and official evaluation records are cited.
Before and after
Before the order
The United States had joined GRECO in 2000, but GRECO had not yet received a presidential designation under the International Organizations Immunities Act.
After the order
The designation supported U.S. participation in GRECO’s peer-review system. EO 13261 updated the order’s exception language in 2002 without revoking the designation. Justice Department records document U.S. evaluation and compliance reports, and the Council of Europe continues to list the United States as a GRECO member.
Who had to do what
| Agency / office | Action | Timing / position |
|---|---|---|
| Federal authorities | Recognize GRECO’s statutory privileges, exemptions and immunities | From December 18, 2001 |
| Justice and State Departments | Represent and coordinate United States participation in GRECO reviews | During continuing membership |
| GRECO and United States authorities | Conduct evaluation and compliance processes under GRECO rules | By each evaluation-round schedule |
What happened next
The United States joined GRECO.
EO 13240 signed.
EO 13240 made the Immunities Act designation.
EO 13261 amended the order without ending the designation.
Legal and source detail
How it works legally
The International Organizations Immunities Act defines the available protections; the order does not create immunity beyond that statute or any other applicable agreement. GRECO’s recommendations operate through peer review rather than direct domestic regulation. No order-specific merits litigation was located.
Sources by type
If a source is unavailable, first check the cited publisher or another official repository. The cited publisher remains the authority.
Primary and official sources
Orders, laws, court records and official implementation material.
- EO 13261 — amendment (opens in a new tab) Order text
How we checked this
Last checked against the sources above on October 2, 2026. How we research →