Case Studies

Euro corruption report

by msecadm4921

No country is immune to corruption and the damaging effects it has for citizens and society. Across Europe – according to a new report from Transparency International – corruption is undermining confidence in national institutions and contributing to a sustained economic crisis.  

 

 

Anti-corruption group Transparency International has warned in a new report that the close relationship between business and government has enabled corruption and undermined economic stability in Europe. The report highlights gaps in governance that contributed to the financial and political scandals that dogged nearly every European country in the last year. Transparency International called on lawmakers to make lobbying and campaign finance more transparent.

 

The report Money, Politics, Power: Corruption Risks in Europe highlights a deficit of transparency in the way decisions are made and political groups funded. 19 of the 25 countries surveyed have yet to regulate lobbying, and only ten ban undisclosed political donations outright.

 

Cobus de Swardt, Managing Director of Transparency International, said at the launch in June: “Across Europe, many of the institutions that define a democracy and enable a country to stop corruption are weaker than often assumed. This report raises troubling issues at a time when transparent leadership is needed as Europe tries to resolve its economic crisis.” 

 

Three quarters of Europeans view corruption as a growing problem in their country, according to European Union surveys. The last year saw high profile corruption trials in France and Italy. Political corruption scandals involved MP expenses (UK), pension fraud (Norway), patronage (Czech Republic, Romania) and conflicts of interest (Bulgaria, Finland, Slovenia). The TI assessment of the capacity of European countries to fight corruption looks at more than 300 national institutions across 25 states. Political parties, business and the civil service performed the worst in the fight against graft and wrong-doing, while state auditors, ombudsmen and agencies tasked with running elections were the best performers. The report also found that Europe enjoys strong and well developed legal systems.

 

Too many governments are not accountable enough for public finances and public contracts, the latter worth 1.8 trillion euros in the EU each year. Even worse, only two countries really adequately protect whistle-blowers from retaliation should they decide to speak out against suspected crime or other unethical conduct.

 

With strong watchdogs, auditors, justice systems and law enforcement agencies, Denmark, Norway and Sweden are best protected against corruption. That said, even in these countries some issues remain, particularly in the area of political finance.

 

12 countries have no ceiling on political donations by individuals,

17 countries lack codes of conduct for parliamentarians, while their public disclosure of interests and assets is limited in 11.

There are barriers for people who want to access public information in 20 countries.

European governments should close these loopholes, Transparency International said.

 

TI also called on the EU to set an example by adopting robust rules inside its own institutions.

Related News

  • Case Studies

    Museum works

    by Mark Rowe

    The security systems installer Metro Security – which celebrated its 35th anniversary in 2013 – reports its work at the Royal Air…

  • Case Studies

    Littering contract

    by Mark Rowe

    The contract company Kingdom has started providing Environmental Protection services in Rotherham on behalf of Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council. The contractor’s officers…

  • Case Studies

    Rhythms of light

    by Mark Rowe

    Lorraine Calcott founded the multi-discipline design consultancy it does Lighting, and is a Secured by Design (SBD) Licensed Consultant. As a lighting…

Newsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to stay on top of security news and events.

© 2024 Professional Security Magazine. All rights reserved.

Website by MSEC Marketing