Brussels, 03/02/2014 (Agence Europe) - Not a league table, not a reprimand but the most objective possible summary of the level of corruption in the 28 member states. The European Commission completed this exercise for the first time on Monday 3 February, publishing its first anti-corruption report for the EU. This report was announced in June 2011 and comes a few months late, and accompanied by a Eurobarometer survey.
The initial findings are fairly worrying, was the first comment of European Commissioner for Home Affairs Cecilia Malmström: apart from the fact that it is present to some degree in every single member state, corruption is believed to cost the EU around €120 billion a year and, according to Eurobarometer, 76% of Europeans believe that the phenomenon is highly widespread in their country. 56% feel that it has increased over the last three years. According to the survey, which is admittedly based only on people's “perceptions” of the phenomenon, six out of every 10 companies even believes that corruption is an obstacle to trade.
Disparate realities are hidden behind these fairly impressive figures, the commissioner said, with some member states more affected than others by corruption in public procurement; others, by the problem of the funding of politics. Although the Commission declined to “categorise” member states, its study on Germany does however show that this country is close to the top of the class when it comes to the fight against corruption. However, it could do more. Germany would benefit from taking a tougher stance on corruption in parliament and from regulating the “revolving doors” practices of senior officials going on to join companies which they have helped. Germany could also do more to raise concerns on how electoral campaigns are paid for.
In the opposite corner, Greece is experiencing a complex situation, with a legal anti-corruption armoury which has still to prove its worth. Corruption, which is widespread in the public procurement sector, also affects the funding of political parties and MPs' declarations of interests. In Italy as well, corruption remains a serious challenge, the Commission states in its report. Although the “anti-corruption” law adopted in November 2012 was a positive step, the country has still to make progress in the ethical codes to be respected by its MPs and, more generally, on their integrity.
Further north, the Netherlands could take steps to extend the categories of assets to be declared by MPs. France, which was hit in 2013 by a major scandal involving its budget minister, has work to do in the fight against corruption in public procurement, corruption at local level, the funding of the political parties and on cross-border corruption.
In its report, the Commission observes a series of trends within the member states: considerable differences exist in controls, for example, it writes, but “in many member states, internal controls and procedures within public authorities are weak and uncoordinated”. The rules on conflicts of interest also vary and “the mechanisms for checking declarations of conflicts of interest are often insufficient”. Sanctions for breaches of rules are rarely applied and often weak.
The same inequality surrounds sanctions and criminal responses to the phenomenon of corruption, these responses being firm and effective in some countries and completely inadequate in others.
The Commission also lists risk areas, which are higher at regional and local level, where fewer safeguards are in place; this effects real-estate promotion and construction in urban areas, as well as healthcare.
Lastly, the Commission mainly devotes this maiden report to the sensitive issue of public procurement, which gets its own specific chapter. “Approximately one fifth of the EU's GDP is spent every year by public entities buying goods, works and services”, the Commission states. “Judging by the type of cases in which the Commission has brought infringement procedures for suspected violations of the directive on the coordination of procedures for awarding public contracts for works, supplies and services, procedures negotiated without publication are the kind of procedure which feature the most irregularities. Most cases of inapplication relate to the infrastructure sector, followed by water treatment and waste, IT services contracts, railways, the health sector and energy”, the Commission says, not referring specifically to any particular country. The Commission's next report is scheduled for 2016, when it will also feature a chapter on the European institutions. (SP/transl.fl)