About: corruption
EPPO nomination – a ticking time bomb?
The focus throughout Laura Codruța Kövesi’s stewardship of Romania's anti-corruption directorate has been on ‘getting scalps’ rather than on serving justice, writes Norica Nicolai.
Why do foreign investors leave Bulgaria as if it were the Titanic?
Despite being one of the most beautiful countries in the European Union, despite having talented and educated people, despite a favourable tax environment, Bulgaria is likely to stay as the poorest in the EU, and to continue losing its population, writes Blaga Thavard.
Fallout from the Kaczynski Twin Towers scandal
The public image of Poland’s political mastermind Jarosław Kaczyński and his ruling conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party was shattered by revelations published by the Gazeta Wyborcza daily on Tuesday (29 January). Piotr Kaczyński (unrelated to the PiS leader) looks into the fallout.
Masks fall as Romanian government withdraws UNESCO application for Rosia Montana
The Romanian government has officially requested UNESCO to withdraw Bucharest's application to make Rosia Montana a protected world heritage site. The move prompted outrage and protests over the ruling PSD's apparent links with the company that wants to turn the site into a commercial gold mine, writes Claudia Ciobanu.
Tackling corruption in football is actually a fight for democracy
Football can be a force for good and democratisation but it can also shelter some of the worst aspects of society, like corruption and money laundering to mask illegal activities, warns MEP Stelios Kouloglou.
Ending state capture in the Balkans – bridging the gap between EU words and deeds
The EU is still failing to address the issue of state capture in the Balkans and, by choosing stability over democracy in the region, has been undermining its own credibility and values. But now it must take strong actions in view of the 2025 admission perspective, writes Shpend Ahmeti.
Murky world of Golden Visas puts EU at risk of corruption
Twelve EU member states offer ‘golden visas’ to the super rich. In return for some form of investment, non-Europeans receive residency and often a second passport and access to the whole of the EU. The potential for corruption is huge, writes Rachel Owens.
Corruption – is there a cure?
Curbing corruption is not a quick-fix and there is no single universal cure for it. However, there is more hope than ever that the endemic spread of corruption can be contained and ultimately reduced, argues Adina Turk.
A crazy idea for a Western Balkans innovation agenda
If the EU plans to use the same old carrots and sticks to push the region further into enlargement territory, we are all in a situation ripe for disappointment, writes Georgi Kamov.
The Bulgarian judiciary explained
The judiciary in Bulgaria has been a victim of political dependence and of civil society indifference, the only novelty now is that even the European Commission is willing to close its eyes, writes Krassen Nikolov.
EU enlargement: Tear down mental walls in the Balkans
Last week the European Commission dealt another blow to the Western Balkans by promising an accession strategy for Montenegro and Serbia while neglecting the other four Balkan countries, Hashim Thaçi, the president of Kosovo, writes in an exclusive op-ed for EURACTIV.
Three risks and three scenarios for Ukraine
Between 2014 and 2017, Ukraine's leadership failed to transform the country's old post-Soviet Russia oligarchic system into a European and Western-style democracy. The transformation is inefficient and slow, and this entails risk, writes Roman Rukomeda.
Panama Papers one year on: Work left to be done
The EU has a duty to ensure that its update of the Anti-Money Laundering Directive requires the details of company owners to be made public, to avoid a repeat of the Panama Papers scandal, writes Emily Wigens.
It is time to remove the stamp of corruption from Romania
The fight against corruption, so highly supported by Brussels, has become a witch-hunt with prosecutors, judges, the secret services and the president all protecting their business interests, writes Norica Nicolai.
Inside Romania’s protests
Despite a wave of similar grassroots anti-government protests elsewhere, particularly in the US, the roots of the present wave of protests in Romania lie in the political and economic failures of the country’s post-communist transition, writes Bogdan Enache.
EU halts release of anti-corruption report
In Romania, politicians were preparing to legalise political corruption, and elsewhere the misuse of EU funds makes headlines every day. Sandor Lederer asks why has the Commission decided not to release an in-depth anti-corruption report.
Croatia learns energy arbitration lessons the hard way
Croatia’s drawn out energy dispute with Hungary has possibly dampened its hopes of acting as an energy hub for the EU, as Brussels looks to bring in more gas from the east. The newest bloc member has a lot of work to do to repair rifts, writes Mehmet Öğütçü.
Corruption failings keep Romania and Bulgaria on EU’s watchlist
Industry comments on the EU monitoring reports on Bulgaria and Romania were unequivocal: graft represents a reputational risk, writes Nick Kochan.
Does corruption threaten Europe?
Current debate rarely attributes the rise of populism in European politics to the perceived prevalence of corruption. Yet public opinion often shows that citizens believe their representatives to be corrupt, write Laurence Cockcroft and Anne-Christine Wegener.
Tangible results on the road to reform in Ukraine
In signing four projects with Ukrainian officials in Brussels today, EIB will have fulfilled its €3 billion obligation to Ukraine. Instead of providing general aid, the EIB supports very specific projects, writes Vazil Hudák.
Romania’s anti-corruption services are reminiscent of Securitate
SRI, Romania’s domestic intelligence service, is evolving into what many regard as the Securitate Version 2.0, a reference to Nicolae Ceaușescu’s feared security service, writes Nick Kochan.
Could Ciolos be Romania’s prime minister again?
Romania’s parliamentary election campaign pits the nation’s political elite against what could be described as the EU’s bureaucratic elite, embodied by incumbent Prime Minister Dacian Cioloş, writes Doug Henderson.
Orbán bites the European hand that feeds his oligarchs – it’s time to bite back!
This week, the European Court of Auditors will report on how the EU spends taxpayer money. For once, the worst offending member states will be named and shamed, with Hungary set to top the list. This should just be the starting point, insist Bart Staes and Benedek Javor.