Transparency International publishes its Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) each year, ranking the degree in which public officials and politicians in 180 countries are perceived to be corrupt based on data from 13 polls and surveys from 11 independent organizations both in and outside the target country.
For the purpose of this index, bribes, kickbacks and embezzlement of public funds are defined as corruption; and the existence, effectiveness and enforcement of anti-corruption laws and probes that investigate and hold those accountable were measured.
In addition to the 27 EU member states, non-EU members (Norway and Switzerland) and westernized countries (USA, Australia and Canada) were included purely for comparison purposes for the convenience of readers.
EU Countries Perceived to be Most Corrupt
| Rank | Country | CPI score |
| 1 | Bulgaria | 3.6 |
| 2 | Romania | 3.8 |
| 3 | Lithuania (tie) | 4.6 |
| 3 | Poland (tie) | 4.6 |
| 5 | Greece | 4.7 |
| 6 | Italy | 4.8 |
| 7 | Latvia (tie) | 5.0 |
| 7 | Slovakia (tie) | 5.0 |
| 9 | Hungary | 5.1 |
| 10 | Czech Republic | 5.2 |
| 11 | Malta | 5.8 |
| 12 | Portugal | 6.1 |
| 13 | Cyprus | 6.4 |
| 14 | Spain | 6.5 |
| 15 | Estonia | 6.6 |
| 16 | Slovenia | 6.7 |
| 17 | France | 6.9 |
| 18 | Belgium | 7.3 |
| - | USA | 7.3 |
| 19 | Ireland | 7.7 |
| 20 | UK | 7.7 |
| 21 | Germany | 7.9 |
| - | Norway | 7.9 |
| 22 | Austria | 8.1 |
| 23 | Luxembourg | 8.3 |
| - | Australia | 8.7 |
| - | Canada | 8.7 |
| 24 | Netherlands | 8.9 |
| 25 | Finland | 9.0 |
| - | Switzerland | 9.0 |
| 26 | Denmark (tie) | 9.3 |
| 26 | Sweden (tie) | 9.3 |
If you do not see your country listed, you can view Transparency International’s entire CPI by clicking here. When looking at the ranking, please remember that a higher score reflects a positive view of a country, while a lower score denotes less confidence and a higher perception of corruption.
The presence of corruption in any country undermines democracy, equality, the environment and the economy. It lines the pockets of the unethical and robs the general public of money originally paid for better hospitals, roads, quality health care, schools and a better quality of life.
In Greece
Corruption in Greece is notoriously rife at all levels of government. State and local officials go unchecked, ministers elected to Parliament enjoy immunity from prosecution while in office, and a lower administrative court can overturn decisions rendered by the supreme court. There are countless loopholes and no accountability.
- 1 in 5 residents pay a bribe each year to a private or public official
- 26 percent of those surveyed said they were asked to pay a bribe
- 9 percent said they were asked by a hospital or bank to pay a bribe
- 1,313 euros, average bribe paid to a public sector official
- 1,554 euros, average bribe paid to a private sector official
- 613 million euros, total estimated bribes per year paid to private and public officials
- Rural police paid 100,000 euros in “confidential expenses”
- 77 million euros in secret funds from the Ministry of Public Order were spent by Sept 2007
- There is no accounting of these funds
- An estimated 35 million euros in bribes were paid in Attica alone to forestry officials
- An estimated 3.4 billion euros annually is paid solely to speed building approvals
- 800 euros, average bribe paid by each of 12 million people of Greece
- 800 euros x 12 million = 9,600,000,000 or 9.6 billion euros
Bribery in Greece is considered to be a misdemeanor and not a criminal offense, though Justice Minister Sotirios Hatzigakis “heralded” a new bill to change that in February 2008. However, this measure also says that only bribes over 73,000 euros would be punishable. Thus, paying and accepting bribes less than 73,000 euros is perfectly fine.
Ministers promising to root out corruption cannot realistically deliver. They face opposition not only from fellow ministers, but also special interest committees, a bevy of tax dodgers and rich and powerful voters who elected them in the first place.
Sources
“Bribery law to be made tougher(?)” – Kathimerini
“Minister removed after criticizing handling of scandals” – IHT
“Imprudence is rewarded, not punished” – Kathimerini
“Judges failing to fight graft” – Kathimerini
“Trial fixing judges sent to jail” – Kathimerini
“Money laundering committee disbanded and replaced” – Kathimerini
“Stop the hemorrhaging” - Kathimerini
“Corruption, law and enforcement” – Kathimerini
“New Democracy targets graft in 2008” – Kathimerini
“More than 2,000 public sector employees charged with corruption” — ANA-MPA
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Athens
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