The European Commission’s first ever EU Anti-Corruption Report, published on Monday, says that the extent of corruption in the 28-nation bloc is “breathtaking,” which costs its economy about EUR120 billion ($162 billion) annually.

Presenting the report, EU Home Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malmstroem said “Corruption undermines citizens’ confidence in democratic institutions and the rule of law, it hurts the European economy and deprives States from much-needed tax revenue.” She notes that despite Member States doing a lot in recent years to fight corruption, the Report shows that it is far from enough. “The Report suggests what can be done, and I look forward to working with Member States to follow it up”, Malmström added.

She described the extent of the problem in Europe as “breathtaking.”

The EU Anti-Corruption Report explains the situation in each Member State, showing both the nature and level of corruption, and the effectiveness of measures taken to fight it. It also shows that corruption deserves greater attention in all Member States.

This is illustrated by the results of a Eurobarometer survey on the attitudes of Europeans towards corruption, which was also published along with the report. The survey shows that three quarters of Europeans think that corruption is widespread and more than half think that the level of corruption in their country has increased over the past three years. One out of twelve Europeans say they have experienced or witnessed a case of corruption in the past year.

Sweden is among the least corrupt countries in the EU. When it comes to fighting corruption, Germany is amongst the best countries of the EU, according to the report.

The Commission has pointed out that the Netherlands’ integrated approach to prevent and detect corruption could serve as a model elsewhere in the EU.

Slovenia has been among the most active of the Central and Eastern European states in the fight against corruption.

25 percent of respondents who were subjected to the survey in Lithuania said they have experienced or witnessed corruption. High level of response were also reported from Slovakia (21 percent), while only 3 percent of respondents in Finland and Denmark said they have experienced or witnessed corruption.

99 percent of Companies in Greece say that corruption is widespread in their country.

Almost half of EU companies agree that the only way to succeed in business in their country is to have political connections.

32 percent of companies that have participated in public tenders/public procurement say corruption prevented them winning a contract, and this view is most widely held among construction and engineering sector companies.

The efficiency of law enforcement and prosecution in investigating corruption varies widely across the EU. Outstanding results can be seen in some Member States. In some others successful prosecutions are rare or investigations lengthy.

Urban development and construction, as well as health care, are sectors vulnerable to corruption in a number of Member States.

The Report calls for stronger integrity standards in the area of public procurement and suggests improvements in control mechanisms in a number of Member States.

The Report aims to launch a wide debate about anti-corruption measures with active participation of the EU Member States, the European Parliament, national parliaments, the private sector and civil society.

The Commission said it intents to publish an EU Anti-Corruption Report every two years.

by RTT Staff Writer

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