About: corruption
Political scientists say EU has lost the battle for the Balkans
The EU has lost the battle for the Balkans, where Russia and China are offering bonuses without asking for reforms, geopolitical experts told an online conference organised by EURACTIV.bg this week, proposing increased cooperation and a Balkan common market as the best way forward.
Slavi the showman in pole position in Bulgarian election race
The anti-elite party “There is such a people”, founded by Bulgaria's popular TV showman Slavi Trifonov, is in pole position ahead of Sunday’s (11 July) snap parliamentary elections. EURACTIV Bulgaria reports.
Police reform in Kazakhstan: Effective law-enforcement close to the population
The reform of the law enforcement system has started in Kazakhstan recently as part of the overall modernisation of the country and the first evaluation of the results achieved look very optimistic, writes Yerlan Turgumbayev.
Graft scandals weigh on upcoming Bulgarian elections
In the two months before the 11 July parliamentary elections in Bulgaria, a series of corruption scandals have shed light on the country’s governance during the rule of Boyko Borissov’s GERB party. According to the latest polls, support for GERB is falling.
Sven Giegold: ECB should start ‘digging into’ financial crime in Bulgaria
To join the Euro, Bulgaria needs to tidy up with financial crime, and the European Central Bank (ECB) should be doing its job and finally start “digging into this”, MEP Sven Giegold told EURACTIV in a telephone interview.
Integrity compliance in Western Balkans infrastructure projects
Civil society has an important role to play to make sure that corruption in infrastructure projects and wrong prioritisation do not derail a €30 billion EU financial plan for the Western Balkans, a group of authors write.
COVID crisis worsened corruption in EU: watchdog
The pandemic has worsened corruption across the European Union, Transparency International said Tuesday (15 June), with citizens at times needing personal connections to get medical care and some governments using the crisis for their own gain.
How is corruption investigated in Serbia: The Krušik case
In Serbia, corruption is investigated only in rare cases when it suits the country’s president, Aleksandar Vučić, as the Krušik arms export scandal shows, writes Svetla Miteva.
Harris takes on graft in Guatemala and tells migrants ‘do not come’
US Vice President Kamala Harris said on Monday (7 June) she had “robust” talks with Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei on fighting corruption to deter immigration from Central America and bluntly warned migrants to not come to the United States.
US warns Bulgaria to clean up the ‘passport-for-cash’ mess
The United States State Department has warned Bulgaria that if the country wants its citizens to benefit from visa-free travel to the US, it should clean up the mess which has gained notoriety as the “passports for cash” scheme.
Montenegro learns true cost of China-backed $1 billion road to nowhere
Two sleek new roads vanish into mountain tunnels high above a sleepy Montenegrin village, the unlikely endpoint of a billion-dollar project bankrolled by China that is threatening to derail the tiny country's economy.
New prosecutor’s office joins EU ‘Justice League’
A newly created EU prosecutor's office started work on Tuesday (1 June), in time to throw legal-eagle scrutiny on hundreds of billions of euros of Covid recovery spending about to sprayed across the bloc.
Albania has voted – will it be a new momentum for its EU path?
Pressed by major challenges such as endemic corruption, brain drain and economic hurdles, Albania needs a strong and stable political establishment that will push for an ambitious reform agenda. The latest elections provide hope, but much work lies ahead, write Tobias Rüttershoff and Teona Lavrelashvili.
Populism and cozy ties with Russia and China: Vucic takes Serbia further away from EU
European tolerance has greatly contributed to Serbian President Alexander Vučić and the ruling Serbian Progressive Party's establishing an authoritarian system that has nothing to do with the rule of law, writes Svetla Miteva.
Sleaze scandal infects UK politics amid Covid spending spree
A drip-feed of revelations over the collapse of an opaque financial firm is raising serious questions about cosy ties between UK politicians, civil servants and big business as the government spends lavishly on fighting the coronavirus pandemic.
Cypriot says business ‘stolen’ in Bulgaria, hopes EPPO will investigate
Stealing a successful business in Bulgaria is commonplace, although this mafia-like practice is little documented. A Cypriot businessman has told his story to EURACTIV, hoping that the Office of the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) would investigate further.
The EverGiven effect and the ‘controlled vote’ in Bulgaria
This week on EURACTIV’s Yellow Room, we are talking about the EverGiven cargo ship blocking Egypt’s Suez Canal for nearly one week, the impact this had on transport and the economy before it was freed on Monday.
EU Commission faces lawsuit unless it acts fast on rule of law conditionality
The European Parliament is set to pass a resolution warning that it will sue the European Commission unless the EU executive arm applies new legislation that makes access to billions of EU funds conditional on respecting the rule of law.
Graft, lockdown and police violence stir anger in Cyprus
Thousands of Cypriot protesters have staged large demonstrations in past weeks, angered by months of lockdown, economic woes and a string of corruption scandals, as well as a rare police crackdown.
Ukrainian minister says corruption accusations hit vaccine procurement
The Ukrainian health minister said on Tuesday (16 February) that Kyiv’s coronavirus vaccine purchases were being hampered by “dirty information attacks” that have triggered a corruption investigation against his ministry.
Cypriots protest against corruption, virus restrictions
Cypriot police on Saturday (13 February) used water cannon and tear gas to break up a rare protest in the capital, as hundreds demonstrated against government corruption and coronavirus restrictions.
New trial kicks off against former treasurer of Spain’s Popular Party
A new trial against the former treasurer of Spain’s Popular Party (PP) Luis Bárcenas for the use of alleged illegal money to refurbish the headquarters of the conservative party in Madrid kicked off in the Spanish capital on Monday (8 February). EURACTIV’s partner EFE reported.
Citing ‘systemic’ fraud, Commission pushes Hungary to change procurement
The European Union's executive has told Hungary to reform its public procurement laws to curb "systemic fraud" before billions of euros from the EU pandemic recovery fund become available, according to an internal document seen by Reuters.