A majority of Europeans believe corruption is worsening in their countries, according to a global survey released this week by Transparency International.

The Global Corruption Barometer 2013, released by the Transparency International Secretariat in Berlin, showed corruption is still widespread across the globe, and Europe is no exception. Survey respondents in 25 of 36 European nations included in the poll said corruption has increased in their country. Those nations included the Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Russia, Spain, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. Eight European countries fared somewhat better, with respondents saying there has been no change in corruption levels. Those countries included Belgium, Bulgaria, Finland, Norway, and Switzerland.

Respondents in only three European nations polled __ Georgia, Latvia, and Serbia __ said corruption has decreased in their country.

The global survey, the largest the non-profit group has undertaken, included views from 114,000 people in 107 countries. Overall, 27 percent of respondents admitted to paying a bribe when accessing public services or institutions in the last 12 months. Transparency International representatives said that amounted to no improvement from previous surveys the group has conducted.

The bribery rates varied significantly from country to country, with developing nations having higher incidence rates. In Europe, Ukraine led all reporting countries, with 37 percent of respondents saying they had paid a bribe to one of eight services. Also on the higher end of the range were Bosnia and Herzegovina, Lithuania, Greece, Serbia, and Turkey.

Bribery rates were lower elsewhere in Europe, with just 1 percent of respondents admitting to paying bribes in Denmark and Finland. Also scoring low on the bribery scale were Portugal, Norway, Spain, Italy, and the United Kingdom. (See chart.)

 

“Governments need to make sure that there are strong, independent, and well-resourced institutions to prevent and redress corruption,” said Huguette Labelle, chair of Transparency International. “Too many people are harmed when these core institutions and basic services are undermined by the scourge of corruption.”

The survey showed many institutions and groups tasked with fighting corruption are not trusted. Not surprisingly, police topped the list in 36 countries worldwide. In Europe, most cited institutions were the judiciary, political parties, and medical and health institutions. In the United Kingdom, the media and political parties were seen as the most corrupt institutions. In Norway, business and the private sector tied with political parties as having the highest perceived level of corruption. Several other countries, including Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, and Hungary, cited business and the private sector as the second-most corrupt group, generally lagging slightly behind political parties.

“Governments need to take this cry against corruption from their citizenry seriously, and respond with concrete action to elevate transparency and accountability,” Labelle said. “Strong leadership is needed from the G20 governments in particular. In the 17 countries surveyed in the G20, 59 percent of respondents said their government is not doing a good job at fighting corruption.”

Labelle noted that people have less faith in their leaders' efforts to battle corruption now than before the financial crisis hit in 2008, when 31 percent said their governments were effective in the task. This year that figure came in at just 22 percent. Labelle called on politicians to help increase public trust by publishing asset declarations for themselves and immediate family members.

But the news wasn't all bad. Overall, 9 out of 10 people said they would take steps against corruption, and roughly two-thirds said they had refused to pay a bribe when asked.

“Bribe paying levels remain very high worldwide, but people believe they have the power to stop corruption and the number of those willing to combat the abuse of power, secret dealings, and bribery is significant,” Labelle said.

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