Corruption Index Report: Balkan countries are getting worse. Albania and Kosovo are improving!
People in the Balkans believe the fight against corruption has taken a downturn this year, except in Kosovo and Albania, watchdog Transparency International said on Tuesday, presenting its latest Corruption Perceptions Index, CPI. The worst-performing country among all Balkan countries, Bosnia and Herzegovina, ranked 114th out of 180 countries worldwide, with a score of 33.
Lidija Prokic, Transparency International’s regional coordinator for Eastern and Southeastern Europe, said that Bosnia had achieved its lowest score since 2012. “The reason for this further decline in the score is that we are still not seeing the problems of systemic corruption addressed. Some of the cornerstones of a successful fight against corruption are missing in Bosnia,” Prokic told BIRN.
As an example, Prokic listed laws regulating conflicts of interest, which do not exist in some parts of Bosnia and are inconsistent in how they are implemented in others. Next in line were Turkey, which ranked 107th with 34 points, and Serbia, tied for 105th with 35 points, marking a continuation of their decline in the Index.
The report noted that in Serbia, " the government's denial of responsibility for the collapse of a roof at the newly renovated railway station in Novi Sad that killed 15 people sparked massive protests across the country, demanding accountability and putting government corruption in the spotlight."
Prokic said the Novi Sad disaster was part of a systemic problem in Serbia, where contracts from direct negotiations are often not publicly available. “ Another thing is that the documents [for the station renovation] were not published in a timely manner. Then, even when we heard that the documents were there and there was a proper response from the institutions, the documents kept coming, which meant that initially not everything was published ,” Prokic said.
She added that the difference between the estimated cost of renovating the station, 3.5 million euros, and the final price of 16 million euros, was deeply concerning. Serbia was followed by North Macedonia, which fell in both points and ranking from last year, with a score of 40 and a place of 88.
Albania and Moldova were highlighted this year as seeing improvements in the strength of their judiciary. Albania, improving its score from last year, ranked 80th (42 points). The improved levels of trust in the country were mainly in the Special Prosecutor’s Office, according to Prokic. However, she said that the country’s initial investigations and trials are still not good enough.
“We need to wait a little longer to see if this really becomes a broader trend and to see more convictions, but there is also a need for greater support from the authorities for independent prosecutors, because there are still many attacks on them from various interest groups using the media that are close to them, and this is worrying, ” she told BIRN.
Moldova maintained the same ranking, but improved its score from last year, "following the creation of a specialized anti-corruption court and broader judicial reform efforts under President Maia Sandu," the report said.
Kosovo ranked 73rd (44 points), which means it improved its ranking and points from last year. Montenegro, which still ranks first in the Western Balkans, at 65th, has actually declined in its performance.
Worrying corruption in EU member states
Regarding the European Union, Transparency warned that “weak transparency and accountability in government procurement, including those involving EU funds, remain a major concern, opening the door to bribery and eroding citizens’ trust in the delivery of public services.”
The report mentions Croatia, which ranks 63rd (score 47), and the case of former Health Minister Vili Beros, who “was dismissed on suspicion of receiving bribes in exchange for approving the procurement of robotic medical equipment from a specific company at inflated prices for several public hospitals.”
Bulgaria ranked 76th (43 points), while Romania ranked 65th (46 points). Greece ranked 59th (49 points), while Slovenia ranked 36th (60 points), the best of all Balkan countries.
TI noted that in Hungary, “the 15-year rule of Prime Minister Victor Orban has been marked by systemic corruption and a steady decline in the rule of law in Hungary, whose CPI score has fallen by 14 points since 2012.” It ranked 82nd (41 points), behind many Balkan countries.
“Even withholding 20 billion euros in EU funds has failed to compel the Orban regime to restore the rule of law and democracy,” the report noted. When it comes to Slovakia, which ranked 59th (score 49), TI warned that “In one year under Robert Fico’s government, Slovakia’s score has fallen sharply as sweeping reforms erode anti-corruption controls and bypass public consultation.
"Political appointments, bypassing standard legislative procedures, and undermining of government-independent institutions and media, along with attacks against NGOs through Russian-style 'foreign agent' narratives, have triggered significant reactions from citizens and civil society, " TI said.
In the Czech Republic, which ranks 46th (point 56) according to TI, “the unchecked power of the Head of the Antimonopoly Office and insufficient transparency expose public procurement to undue influence.”
The top-ranking countries remain almost unchanged from last year: Denmark, Finland, Singapore, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland and Sweden, with Luxembourg as a newcomer, replacing the Netherlands. At the bottom of the global scale were Yemen, Syria, Venezuela, Somalia and South Sudan.
Poll
Germany ahead of elections - Citizens concerned about rising cost of living and political crisis
The majority of German citizens are concerned about high prices as Europe's largest economy is now shrinking, a poll showed ahead of the February 23......
ECB signals inflation easing - Calls for advancement of digital euro!
European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde has told European policymakers that inflation is easing and recent rate cuts are starting to take......
What happened in the foreign exchange market today?
The US dollar started the day on the rise, as compared to yesterday it was bought today for 95.5 lek and sold for 96.8 lek according to the local exchange......
100 villages where the "Mountain Package" will focus - Duma: If 500 beneficiary entities are exceeded, the law will be reviewed
The draft law "Mountains Package" was reviewed this Monday in the Committee on Productive Activities for Trade and Environment. But what were some of the......
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis resigns to avoid political crisis!
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis resigned from office on Monday in a move he said was to prevent the country from entering a crisis that would ensue after......
A new transatlantic trade war? Trump's tariffs could push Europe to target American tech services!
Donald Trump's plan to impose new tariffs on the European Union could provoke retaliation in an unexpected way not by taxing American goods, but by targeting......
Members added to the Albanian Electricity Exchange - Market developments, the number of entities listed on ALPEX reaches 36
About 2 years after the start of operations, the Albanian Electricity Exchange has 36 companies listed for the day-ahead market. The data is reported by......
Real estate loans dominated in 2024 - BoA: Increased by 11.5% compared to 2023
Real estate loan demand continued to dominate in 2024. In December, loans taken for real estate by individuals and businesses reached 252 billion lek. The......
