Political corruption

Ljubljana – Slovenia has made no headway in the 2020 Corruption Perception Index (CPI) compiled annually by Transparency International (TI). Like in 2019, Slovenia ranked 39th among 180 countries included in the index. With a score of 60 points, it once again fell short of the EU average of 64 points and the OECD average of 67 points.

Greece has climbed one spot to 59th position among 180 countries in the Transparency International (TI) Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) for 2020.

Greece's score also improved to 50 out of 100 points on the CPI survey.

The group's 2019 report gave Greece a score of 48, which put the country in 60th place.

Political elites and their grip on power are the main driving force behind state capture in the Western Balkans and Turkey, a new Transparency International report asserts.

The report, "Examining state capture", published on Tuesday, notes "two key enabling factors of state capture in the Western Balkans and Turkey: impunity for high-level corruption and tailor-made laws".

Western Balkans is setting an example 

Interior view of Agora building of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, Bas-Rhin, France. Photo: Wikimedia commons/Adrian Grycuk

Ljubljana – An integrity project has been launched to mark International Anti-Corruption Day, with President Borut Pahor noting at the event that raising awareness and education on fighting corruption and strengthening integrity was key to boosting trust in society. Other speakers also called for greater integrity at all levels of education.

President Klaus Iohannis sent a message on Wednesday on the occasion of the International Anticorruption Day, stressing that the phenomenon of corruption must be fought "firmly" by the institutions responsible for the "health of the state and society." He noted that the International Anticorruption Day, established by the United Nations Convention against Corruption, brings to mind that everyon

Greece's chief corruption prosecutor, Eleni Touloupaki, who is facing investigation over the judicial handling of the Novartis bribery probe, claims to have been a victim of "a coordinated attempt at moral extermination." 

The new National Defence Strategy for 2020-2024 reiterates Romania's "commitment" to the rule of law, with the document categorizing the corruption phenomenon as a "security risk," said presidential adviser Ion Oprisor - National Security Department, in a statement sent by the Presidential Administration to AGERPRES on Thursday.

Bulgaria is among the 10 countries, out of all 47 members of the Council of Europe, to have implemented all anti-corruption recommendations, according to the latest report of the organization.

Four out of the five categories that make up the average score deteriorated. Civil liberties: down. Political culture: down. Functioning of government: down. Electoral processes and pluralism: you guessed it.

The only category that registered an uptick was "political participation", reflecting "a rising tide of popular protest" that "shook regimes run by despots and democrats alike".