Where democracy and the rule of law are restricted, there is more corruption. According to Transparency International, this can be seen in Hungary, for example. Germany has the problem under control quite well – but there are dangers.
According to Transparency International (TI), the rise of authoritarian and anti-democratic regimes worldwide is leading to more corruption in the respective states. This is the result of the new corruption perception index for the past year.
The chairwoman of TI Germany, Alexandra Herzog, explained: “Where the rule of law, independent media and civil society groups are weakened, that is where corruption flourishes.”
Denmark is ahead, Germany in ninth place
This is illustrated by Hungary, which, under the leadership of Prime Minister Viktor Orban, has fallen in the index on a scale of 0 to 100 points and is now in last place in an EU-wide comparison with 42 points and 76th place.
As in the previous year, Denmark is the leader with 90 points and the country with the least perceived corruption, followed by Finland, New Zealand and Norway. Germany lost a point for the second year in a row, but remained in ninth place with 78 points.
The last places are still occupied by South Sudan, Syria, Venezuela and Somalia. Overall, more than two thirds of the 180 countries score less than 50 out of 100 points. This is a clear indication of serious corruption problems worldwide.
The ranking assesses the perceived corruption in politics and administration. The index combines 13 individual indices and is based on assessments by experts and managers. This is exclusively about the public sector. Tax fraud, money laundering, illicit financial flows or other forms of corruption in the private sector are not assessed.
TI: Strategy against autocrats’ influence is necessary
Herzog emphasized that democracies that are considered stable also need to take precautions. Especially now and with a view to the European elections, Germany must work more actively for a strong rule of law and a vehement fight against corruption. TI also called on the federal government to present a strategy against influence by autocratic regimes. “It is urgent to make our institutions and our society more resilient,” said Herzog.
The deputy TI chairwoman, Margarete Bause, emphasized that Germany has the problem of corruption relatively well under control. Nevertheless, there are some open flanks. The lobby register was reformed, but the so-called lobby footprint was omitted. It should provide information about the effect lobby groups have on legal texts.
The new law to protect whistleblowers is also progress, but the large area of national security has been almost completely excluded, said Bause. In addition, there are still uncertainties for people, companies and authorities who provide information.
The law on bribery of members of parliament is still pending. It is still not a criminal offense if MPs abuse their position in order to exert influence in the interests of third parties in return for personal benefit – as was the case with the mask affair. The government coalition has not yet presented a draft for an urgently needed corporate criminal law.
Anja Dobrodinsky, ARD Berlin, tagesschau, January 30, 2024 6:59 a.m