TI: Bulgaria, Romania Still Failing to Root Out Corruption

The two EU newcomers, Bulgaria and Romania, are experiencing serious problems with the fight against corruption and continue to raise the biggest concerns in connection with this problem, according to a newly published report of Transparency International (TI) studying the reasons for corruption in 25 European countries.

Under the supervision of European institutions, the two countries passed a plethora of laws but the flurry of legislative activity has not been accompanied by the widespread adoption of ethical norms, actions and behavior, the 60-page report of the watchdog reads.

"A case in point is the Supreme Judicial Council in Bulgaria – the main body responsible for personnel policy in the judiciary – that enjoys a high level of institutional autonomy according to the law. But, in practice the body has been involved in a series of scandals, suggesting that there have been external influences coloring its decisions. In order for such problems to be eliminated, institutional reforms may be insufficient. Ultimately, the change may only come about through a cultural shift that creates a strong sense of professional ethics to help officials understand and adhere to the law," the survey notes.

The "Money, politics and power: corruption risks in Europe" report says that election processes in the majority of the countries assessed are transparent, with electoral management bodies performing well in administering free and fair elections.

According to TI, the exceptions are Bulgaria and Romania, where electoral processes still pose significant problems.

Bulgaria is also one of the countries lacking an independent oversight body to ensure the implementation of access to information laws.

The report states that problems with public procurement are most acute in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Italy, Romania and Slovakia.

The document highlights that public procurement laws in the 25 countries are in line with EU legislation but in many countries the rules are systematically circumvented and the breaches remain largely unpunished.

The report says that the institution of the Ombudsman is relatively new to Bulgaria and is currently poorly resourced. The NGO cites concerns over the independence of the office due to the highly politicized nature of the appointment process.

TI concludes that the close ties between the business sector and governments allow corruption to erode the economic stability in Europe.

The report draws attention to "a strong correlation between corruption and fiscal deficits", citing Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain as the countries experiencing the most pronounced deficits in their integrity systems.

The NGO urges lawmakers to make lobbying and financing schemes of election campaigns more transparent.

The report stresses the lack of transparency in political parties' funding schemes and decision-making processes.

TI concludes that 19 out of the 25 European countries assessed need to adopt legislation to control lobbying, while the ones that have such laws often lack enforcement mechanisms and sanctions for non-compliance.

"Across Europe many of the institutions that define a democracy and enable a country to stop corruption are weaker than often assumed," says Cobus de Swardt, Cobus de Swardt, Managing Director of Transparency International.

According to TI, ? of Europeans believe corruption is a major problem in their country

Only two countries provide adequate protection for whistle-blowers, while 17 countries lack codes of conduct for parliamentarians.

Denmark, Norway and Sweden are best protected against corruption due to the stable regulation, audit agencies and justice systems.

However, even these countries are plagued by problems in the sphere of political parties' financing.

According to TI, there has been a serious roll-back on corruption in some central and eastern European countries – notably the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia – since they joined the EU.

The "Money, politics and power: corruption risks in Europe" report covers 25 countries - the European Union's 27 members minus Austria, Cyprus, Luxembourg and Malta, but including Norway and Switzerland.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!