Which EU country is perceived to be the most corrupt?

Greece was the European Union member state that saw the biggest decrease in annual rankings measuring perceptions of corruption across the world.

It dropped three points in a year and is one of five countries in the bloc considered to be more corrupt than it is clean.

Transparency International’s (TI) rankings listed Bulgaria as the EU country where corruption is felt the most.

Greece is the second worst in the bloc followed by Hungary, Romania and Croatia.

Dr Anna Damaskou, from TI in Greece, said the Novartis scandal — which saw the pharmaceutical company investigated over allegations it bribed public officials — had contributed to the rise in perceptions of corruption.

“The fact there has been no concrete outcome of this case yet means it’s been like a cloud over the country,” she told Euronews. But, she said, it was important to put the three-point fall into context.

In 2017 the country had seen its score rise due to reforms linked to austerity measures. At the other end of the scale, Denmark, Finland and Sweden were considered the least corrupt, although all have lost points since five years ago.

“With many democratic institutions under threat across the globe — often by leaders with authoritarian or populist tendencies — we need to do more to strengthen checks and balances and protect citizens’ rights,” said Patricia Moreira, TI’s managing director.

“Corruption chips away at democracy to produce a vicious cycle, where corruption undermines democratic institutions and, in turn, weak institutions are less able to control corruption.”

The biggest falls were registered as follows:

Maltese media report that Malta has plummeted five spots on Transparency International’s annual corruption perception index, placing at a record low of 51st on the annual graft indicator.  This year’s ranking, to be released on Tuesday, means the country has gradually slid 26 positions since its first ever inclusion in 25th place. Transparency International’s regional advisor for Western Europe Nacho Espinosa told the Times of Malta that the worsening score came as no shock.

“More than one year after the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, who was killed while reporting on corruption, it comes as no surprise that the expert assessments and business executive surveys used to compile the corruption perception index would continue to agree on a worsening situation in the country,” Mr Espinosa said.

He said Malta’s score, on which the global rankings were calculated, has decreased by six points over the past three years, from 60/100 in 2015 to 54/100 in 2018.

via Euronews