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Corruption: poor results for Balkans, new report says
Transparency, only Macedonia registers some improvement
29 January, 20:02
(ANSA) - BELGRADE, 29 GEN - Countries in the Balkans have
registered poor results in the new 2018 Corruption Perceptions
Index (CPI), published on Tuesday by Transparency International.
The index ranks countries by the perceived levels of public sector corruption according to experts and the businesspeople.
The ranking is measured on a scale from zero to 100, where zero describes a country with a high level of perceived corruption and 100 a very 'clean' one. The top countries in the world are currently Denmark (88 points) and New Zealand (87). Italy recorded a score of 52 points out of 100.
In the Balkans, the best results were registered in Croatia (48), followed by Romania (47), Montenegro (45), Bulgaria (42), Serbia (39), Bosnia and Herzegovina (38), Kosovo and Macedonia (37). Albania has the worst score in the Balkans, with 36 points on the Transparency Index, mostly "due to a political stalemate that blocked several anti-corruption reforms from moving forward," the watchdog said. In the area of former Yugoslavia, Slovenia has registered the best results, with 60 points, while in Southeast Europe in general Greece fell three points on the Index, moving from 48 points in 2017 to 45 in 2018.
All countries in the Balkan region, with the exception of Macedonia, recorded worse results in 2018 than in 2017. Serbia, in particular, "dropped two points since last year, a trend that may persist if the government continues to undermine those bodies and institutions that are responsible for maintaining the rule of law," Transparency International said. Furthermore, "the government has pushed for increased influence over the judiciary" and is working "to reduce public access to information by exempting state-owned enterprises from disclosing information." In Kosovo (-2 points), the main challenges are related to "insufficient transparency, weak institutions and rule of law." Montenegro (-1 point) "has yet to significantly improve its rule of law," despite its advancement in EU integration process, the watchdog noted.
Bosnia registered an unchanged score in 2018 compared to 2017, but "recent political developments are worrying", Transparency added, pointing out "concerns of fraud and poor administration" after the October elections, and "attacks of peaceful protesters and detention of opposition leaders and activists" in Republika Srpska.
In relation to Romania and Bulgaria, Transparency said that "both countries have made little progress on judicial reforms and anti-corruption efforts". Moreover, Sofia "also lacks an independent and transparent media."
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The index ranks countries by the perceived levels of public sector corruption according to experts and the businesspeople.
The ranking is measured on a scale from zero to 100, where zero describes a country with a high level of perceived corruption and 100 a very 'clean' one. The top countries in the world are currently Denmark (88 points) and New Zealand (87). Italy recorded a score of 52 points out of 100.
In the Balkans, the best results were registered in Croatia (48), followed by Romania (47), Montenegro (45), Bulgaria (42), Serbia (39), Bosnia and Herzegovina (38), Kosovo and Macedonia (37). Albania has the worst score in the Balkans, with 36 points on the Transparency Index, mostly "due to a political stalemate that blocked several anti-corruption reforms from moving forward," the watchdog said. In the area of former Yugoslavia, Slovenia has registered the best results, with 60 points, while in Southeast Europe in general Greece fell three points on the Index, moving from 48 points in 2017 to 45 in 2018.
All countries in the Balkan region, with the exception of Macedonia, recorded worse results in 2018 than in 2017. Serbia, in particular, "dropped two points since last year, a trend that may persist if the government continues to undermine those bodies and institutions that are responsible for maintaining the rule of law," Transparency International said. Furthermore, "the government has pushed for increased influence over the judiciary" and is working "to reduce public access to information by exempting state-owned enterprises from disclosing information." In Kosovo (-2 points), the main challenges are related to "insufficient transparency, weak institutions and rule of law." Montenegro (-1 point) "has yet to significantly improve its rule of law," despite its advancement in EU integration process, the watchdog noted.
Bosnia registered an unchanged score in 2018 compared to 2017, but "recent political developments are worrying", Transparency added, pointing out "concerns of fraud and poor administration" after the October elections, and "attacks of peaceful protesters and detention of opposition leaders and activists" in Republika Srpska.
In relation to Romania and Bulgaria, Transparency said that "both countries have made little progress on judicial reforms and anti-corruption efforts". Moreover, Sofia "also lacks an independent and transparent media."
