Corruption Perceptions Index 2014

http://www.transparency.org/cpi2014

CROATIA MAKES NO PROGRESS IN FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPTION

On a scale of 175 countries according to the Corruption Perceptions Index, Croatia is 61st. Compared to last year Croatia has dropped in ranking by four places.  

According to the Corruption Perceptions Index, the most important indicator of corruption in the world,  the least corrupt country in 2014 are Denmark with 92 points and New Zealand with 91 points, and the most corrupt are North Korea and Somalia with only 8 points.

This years Croatian index is 48 points which is the same as the last years. From 175 countries, Croatia is on the 61st place. It is 4 places worse than last year.

"Corruption Perceptions Index 2014 shows that progress in the fight against corruption can not be seen, which means that the fight against corruption is not yet strong enough, although we witnessed some efforts in this direction. This indicator should be a warning to every individual, especially those who hold power, because we were promised a society without corruption. "Said Davorka Budimir, president of Transparency International Croatia.

According to the Corruption Perceptions Index, the biggest shift from the country in the region had Albania. She progressed for 2 points. Slovenia and Macedonia are on the track to get 1 point. On the other hand, the growth of corruption is recorded in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina. On a scale of 175 countries of the regional countries, rank is following: 39th place Slovenia (58 points), 61st place Croatia (48 points), 64th Macedonia (45 points) 76th City Montenegro (42 points), 78th place Serbia (41 points), 80th place Bosnia and Herzegovina (39 points), and at the 110th position are  Kosovo (33 points) and Albania (33 points).

Corruption Perceptions Index of certain country indicates which is the level of perception of corruption in the public sector on a scale from 0 to 100. The 0 is a country that is perceived to be highly corrupted, and the one evaluated with 100 as land cleared of corruption. Corruption means illegal activities that deliberately conceal and resurface through scandals, investigations and prosecutions.

"Croats are paying for the fight against corruption too expensive! In particular, we draw attention that in the public must not be created the impression that the exposure of corruption scandals are used for daily political calculation of political actors," said Davorka Budimir.

Although Croatia is a member of the European Union since 2014,  its CPI below the EU average. In the European Union, the average value of the index is 66, and the Croatian index, to recall, is 48 points. At the same time Croatia is above the world average of 43 points.

"The fight against corruption rests on prevention at all levels of society. It is necessary to encourage and indicate on positive value, on confidence, and especially on honesty. This is a basic prerequisite to the general condemnation of the entire society to corrupt behavior challenges, not just the brave individuals. A society without corruption and corrupt behavior is a prerequisite not only for attracting foreign investment, but also for the development of the Croatian economy and entrepreneurship.", said Davorka Budimir.

Corruption Perceptions Index implicates that many countries are still faced with the threat of corruption at all levels of government. Countries that have the highest ratings, show that transparency of the system encourages social responsibility and reduces corruption. For the more corrupt countries, one of the biggest challenges is a corruption in the public sector, particularly in areas such as political parties, the police and judiciary. Corruption can be reduced with free access to informations, and clearly defined behaviour rules for all public office holders. On the other hand the lack of accountability in the public sector with inefficient public administration is conducive to corruption.