Poll: 'EU not free of corruption' 

Most respondents have a poor opinion of their government’s anti-corruption efforts. Sixty nine percent say that their government is not effective in fighting corruption, or that it makes no effort to fight it, or that it actually encourages corruption. Globally, only 22% labelled their government’s actions "effective" or "very effective" while regionally, 42% of Europeans think their government’s actions are ineffective.

Ordinary citizens perceived political parties, on average, to be the institution most affected by corruption, followed by parliaments and legislatures and then by the business sector. Police top the chart in respondents’ own experience of bribing, though the police are perceived as the fourth most corrupt institution.

Respondents were also asked how corruption affected their personal, commercial and political lives. Political life was seen as being the area most compromised by corruption. The percentage of respondents who believe corruption affects their personal or family life varied greatly among regions, with 22% of Europeans feeling personally affected to a great extent, compared with 70% of Africans. 

For the fourth time, soon-to-be-EU member Bulgaria was included in Transparency International's Global Corruption Barometer 2006 research. In 2006, the justice sector got the highest corruption index of 4.4, followed by political parties, Parliament and the healthcare sector.

In 2003 political parties had the highest index, while in 2004 and 2005 the index was highest for customs offices.

However, the negative evaluation of Bulgarians for the work of these institutions has improved slightly. Positive tendencies were registered for the work of the police and the Bulgarian business sector.

A day earlier Transparency International Bulgaria presented the organisation's Corruption Perception Index 2006. Bulgaria ranks 57th with an overall index of 4.0.

The index takes into account the opinions of business representatives and analysts. It examines the conditions in 163 countries.

In 2005 Bulgaria ranked 55 out of 159 countries. Corruption levels were lowest in Finland and Iceland, the report said.

"This worldwide poll shows that corruption has a dramatic effect on the lives of individuals. Its power is enormous,” said Huguette Labelle, Transparency International chairwoman. "When basic services like electricity are denied to the poor because they cannot afford a small bribe, there is no light in the home, no warmth for the children and no escape for the government from its responsibility to take action." 

"Corruption has infiltrated public life and burrowed in," said Robin Hodess, policy and research director at Transparency International. "Legislatures are elected with a precious mission: to place the interests of their citizens above their own. The Barometer shows that this trust is being violated, at great cost to the legitimacy of elected officials in many countries. The democratic process is at stake if this warning is not heeded."

Richard Howitt, UK Socialist MEP  and rapporteur for the European Parliament’s current report on CSR, said: "There is a very strong case for companies to report their social and environmental impacts on a mandatory basis. And even before this is introduced, the European Commission should be enforcing existing laws to test the transparency and credibility of current CSR initiatives."

The Corruption Barometer findings have been released during the same week as 2006 Global Accountability Report: Holding power to account , the first initiative to measure and compare the accountability of transnational organisations across sectors. The report, from NGO One World Trust aims to "extend basic principles of democracy to the global level…and presents the findings of research into the accountability of 30 of the world’s most powerful organisations on the basis of four dimensions of accountability: transparency, participation, evaluation, and complaint and response".

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