Transparency International

The corruption perception index in Bulgaria is 44 points, ranking our country 69th out of 180 countries in the world, included in Transparency International's ranking. Compared to last year, our country adds one point to its score, catching up with Romania and Hungary, reports Bloombergtv.bg

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".

The corruption perceptions in Bulgaria - the strongest across the European Union, the latest Transparency International survey shows.

The 2019 CPI draws on 13 surveys and expert assessments to measure public sector corruption in 180 countries and territories, giving each a score from zero (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean).

Bulgaria ranks 77th in corruption in the world, according to a report by the Australian National University. The study compares country-by-country corruption and will be presented to the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Taxpayers Union in Bulgaria.

71% of Bulgarians say it is necessary to investigate corruption at the highest political level, and 63% say that corruption at municipal level has to be investigated, said Alpha Research manager Boryana Dimitrova at a round table, Focus News Agency reports.

Greece fell eight places in Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index last year, dropping to 67th position from 59th in 2017.

Transparency International's new report on perceived levels of public-sector corruption says Balkan countries are seen as highly corrupt and all of them have below-average ratings.

Albania has the worst score of the Balkan states, closely followed by Kosovo and Macedonia.

Global anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International put Bulgaria among the countries in which there is “little or no enforcement” deterring foreign companies from paying bribes.

Turkey ranked 81st out of 180 countries in Transparency International’s newly released Corruption Perceptions Index 2017, sliding six places from the previous year.

Overpowering influence of political figures, usually close to business or organized crime, remains the main problem in dealing with corruption in the Balkans, Transparency International's Project Manager and former Regional Advisor for Southeast Europe, Cornelia Abel, said.