CPI 2018 - 48 score,60(180
28.01.2019.
MEDIA RELEASE
/for immediate publication/
29th January 2019
CROATIA IS STILL AMONG THE MOST CORRUPT COUNTRIES
-
CORRUPTION PERCEPTIONS INDEX 2018 SCORE 48 – RANKING 60
According to the Corruption Perceptions Index 2018, which ranks 180 countries, Croatia ranked 60 with a score of 48 points. Croatia fell by one point and three places compared to 2017.
According to the Corruption Perceptions Index, which is survey done by Transparency International in Berlin, the most transparent countries in 2018 were Denmark with 88 points, New Zealand with 87 points and Finland, Singapore, Sweden and Switzerland all with 85 points. The most corrupt countries were Syria with 13 points and Somalia with only 10 points.
Croatia is still among the most corrupt countries in the European Union, with only 4 countries being worse than us: Romania with 47 points, Hungary with 46 points, Greece with 45 points and Bulgaria with 43 points. The average score for Member States of the Euorpean Union is 66 points, which leaves Croatia 18 points behind the EU average.
In relation to the countries surrounding Croatia, only Macedonia showed any improvement with 2 points, whilst Bosnia and Herzegovina remained unchanged. Slovenia, Croatia and Montenegro fell by one point and Serbia, Albania and Kosovo, all fell by 2 points.
Slovenia has 60 points, Croatia 48, Montenegro 45, Serbia 39, Bosnia and Herzegovina 38 and Macedonia and Kosovo both have 37 points.
“The Corruption Perceptions Index for 2017 showed that Croatia fell behind and stagnated in the fight against corruption.
Transparency International, which is a German non-governmental association, explains this year’s worldwide increase in corruption to a rise in populism and a weakening of democratic institutions. In 2017, the reasons they gave for the increase in corruption were a decrease in civil freedoms and less protection of non-governmental institutions.
Transparency International Croatia believes that corruption is concomitant with greed, theft, irresponsible behaviour and unaccountability of individuals.
Corruption does not belong to an ideology and neither does the fight against corruption. It is neither left wing nor right wing. Every individual who is in a position to make political decisions is most accountable, whether in power or opposition. Those in power are accountable because they destroy the integrity of institutions and those in opposition because they are not ready for real changes which must happen in our society, already today. Tomorrow is too late.
People have had enough of theft being tolerated, irresponsibility encouraged, and controlled chaos being created in Croatian society.
The fight against corruption ceased with the Croatia’s accession to the European Union, and a fall in Croatia’s rankings is the result of inadequately strengthening the authorities which apply preventive measures, as well as the lengthy court procedures, all of which compromise the real fight against corruption.
Corruption is the root cause of the mass exodus of people from Croatia and collapse of a value system which as a society, we have not managed to fully create since independence. We have had enough of individuals with honesty and integrity and who do not wish to give up on a better future in Croatia, being stymied.” said Davorka Budimir, President of Transparency International Croatia.
Media contact: TIH Office 091 2232011, mediji@transparency.hr
