As well as making a written promise, the companies plan to suggest more concrete measures and even compose a sort of a guide on how to fight corruption.

They also are intent on identifying those departments that are most susceptible to corruption, encouraging their employees to watch for any signs of possible wrongdoings and blow the whistle if anyone is suspected of giving or taking kickbacks.

The Russian-German Foreign Trade Chamber promoting the agreement believes the measure will be very effective and said if employees say they are not accepting bribes, they will not be offered any.

“We started preparations for this agreement at the end of last year,” head of German business representative office Michael Harms told RT. “One of the main factors was a very positive political climate and support from the Russian government.”

Secondly, Harms said, the agreement is a reaction to a number of recent high-profile corruption scandals with German companies Daimler and Hewlett-Packard. Signing this anti-corruption document, international businesses hope to rid themselves of this embarrassing image.