In the Corruption Perceptions Index compiled every year since 1995 by the organization Transparency International, Greece was ranked second from the end in Europe, with our country's score having deteriorated significantly in just one year.
According to the 2018 ranking, the worst performance among the 31 countries of Western Europe and the European Union was recorded by Bulgaria with a "score" of 42 points (down by one point compared to 2017). Next is our country, which within a year "lost" three points and now has 45 points. In the third worst place in Europe is Hungary (46), which has fallen by eight points in the last five years.
The average of the area was 66 units (with an excellent 100). In fact, 14 out of 20 countries that are at the top of the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) are in Western Europe and the European Union. Denmark comes first in the world with a score of 88 points. Finland, Sweden and Switzerland follow closely behind (all three score 85 points and share third place globally with Singapore).
In a total of 180 countries, Greece comes 67th and is in a worse position than countries such as Malaysia, Cuba, Rwanda, Botswana and Uruguay. In 2017, our country was in 59th place worldwide, i.e. within a year it fell in the ranking by 8 places.
The appointment of V. Thanos to the Competition Department raises concerns
Specifically for Greece, Transparency International reports that the country fell by three points (to 45 out of 48 in 2017), however, its ranking is improved by nine points compared to 2012. “One explanation for this is the fact that since 2008 when the financial crisis broke out crisis, η χώρα έχει προβεί σε αρκετές διαρθρωτικές μεταρρυθμίσεις ώστε να εξισορροπήσει τα αυστηρά μέτρα λιτότητας. Ωστόσο παρά αυτές τις διαρθρωτικές βελτιώσεις, η πρόοδος στην καταπολέμηση της διαφθοράς έχει “freeze” in Greece and the “burden” of bureaucracy burdens the country”.
Transparency International cites the scandals that dominated the domestic news in 2018 saying they undermined anti-corruption efforts, while special mention is made of the government's recent decision to appoint Vassiliki Thanou as the chair of the Competition Commission. As the international organization points out, her placement in this particular position raises concerns about conflict interests, given that Ms. Thanou is a close adviser to the Greek prime minister and at the same time calls into question the independence of the institution in question.
"In the analysis of Transparency International for the region of Western Europe and the European Union, Greece is ranked among the "countries under surveillance", notes the President of International Transparency Greece Dr. Damascus Anna. "Our country wants to be at the core of the European Union, but it is still far from the average of Western Europe and the European Union in the Corruption Perception Index. Therefore, we as a country must step up our efforts to fight corruption so that we do not allow it to further damage the quality of our democracyus" he adds.
"Corruption weakens democracy and creates a vicious circle, where corruption undermines democratic institutions and weak institutions are in turn less able to control corruption," says the Director of Transparency International Patricia Moreira.
The Corruption Perceptions Index ranks a total of 180 countries and regions based on how local experts and businesspeople perceive the levels of public sector corruption in their country. The scale used starts from zero and goes up to 100, with zero being the worst level.
In 2018, more than two out of three countries scored below 50 points, with the global average at just 43 points. At the bottom of the world ranking is Somalia with 10 points, in the second worst place are Syria and South Sudan with 13 points, third from the end are Yemen and North Korea with a score of only 14 out of 100.
Since 2012, only 20 countries have significantly improved their score, including Argentina and Ivory Coast, while 16 countries have experienced a significant drop in score, including Australia, Chile and Malta.
The rating of Greece is close to the "deficit democracies".
As Transparency International notes, analysis of democracy data internationally highlights the direct correlation that exists between corruption and healthy democracy. Fully democratic countries have an average score of 75 on the Corruption Perceptions Index, deficit democracies have an average score of 49 (pp. higher than Greece's score), hybrid regimes – which show authoritarian tendencies – have a score of 35, while authoritarian regimes score the worst, averaging just 30 on the Corruption Perceptions Index.
"Our research makes clear the interconnection that exists between a healthy democracy and the effective fight against corruption in the public sector," said Delia Ferreira Rubio, President of Transparency International. "Corruption is much more likely to 'flourish' where the foundations of democracy are fragile, and, as we have seen in many countries, where non-democratic and populist politicians use it to their advantage."
