Transparency International
Corruption risks in military missions abroad
An A400M of the German Air Force (symbol picture). Photo: Arne Immanuel Bänsch / dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
Experts see great risks of corruption in armaments deals worth billions. In an international comparison, Germany is in a good position, but there are dangers lurking in missions abroad.
The organization Transparency International has warned Germany of particular risks of corruption when deploying the Bundeswehr abroad.
Overall, however, the Federal Republic of Germany is in a good sixth place in the international and European comparison of the defense sector, together with Taiwan, according to the organization’s corruption index published in Berlin on Tuesday. Achilles’ heel are inadequate precautions to combat corruption when deployed abroad.
“These missions often take place in countries where corruption thrives. Nonetheless, measures to combat corruption remain incomplete in the German planning and implementation of military operations, ”said the organization. “At the strategic level, Germany lacks a defense doctrine that addresses corruption in military operations, in particular how its dangers and effects are to be contained.” In addition, there is no training on corruption prevention before the deployment. Reports on corruption during foreign missions are not freely available. Therefore it cannot be determined to what extent there is a monitoring of the risks.
The anti-corruption organization published its Government Defense Integrity Index (GDI) 2020. This is the only global assessment of corruption risks in government institutions in the defense sector, especially in defense ministries. The GDI examines 86 countries and assesses the existence, effectiveness and enforcement of institutional controls in five key areas of risk of corruption: finance, military operations, personnel, politics and procurement.
The global results indicate a high to critical risk of corruption in the defense sector across all countries. 62 percent of the countries examined achieve an overall rating of less than half of the possible points. The front runner is New Zealand with an overall rating of 85 out of 100 and bottom is Sudan, which was recently hit by a military coup, with an overall rating of 5 out of 100 possible points. According to this, Germany has an overall rating of 70 out of 100 points.
The anti-corruption fighters see strong parliamentary oversight in Germany. However, effectiveness and independence are at risk due to inadequate regulation of lobbying and conflicts of interest, even after the Lobbying Register Act came into force on January 1, 2022. It is also possible “to exert an almost unregulated influence on policy-making and procurement”. The regulations on secondary employment and possible conflicts of interest of members of the Bundestag would have to be tightened further.
A lack of legislation on whistleblower protection undermines efforts to combat corruption. Whistleblowers are often the only people who can uncover illegal and illegitimate machinations, often at the risk of considerable personal risks. For this reason, rapid implementation of the EU Whistleblower Directive in a legal regulation that goes beyond EU law is required.