Eurobarometer 2024 - citizens΄ attitude towards corruption
Another European ΄first΄ for Greece.
Nepotism, cronyism, bribery, and so on... According to the latest Eurobarometer survey, the above-mentioned - and other - forms of corruption are encountered across Europe in 2024, with Greece triumphantly securing first place, as 98% of its citizens believe that corruption is widespread in the country and 53% state that it has increased in the last three years.
Portugal (96%) and Malta (95%) follow in second and third place, while the lowest percentages are recorded in Luxembourg (43%), Denmark (26%), and Finland (18%).
Overall, 68% of Europeans consider corruption to be widespread in their country. Almost two-thirds (65%) of the inhabitants believe that high-level corruption cases are not being adequately addressed, while more than half (57%) do not believe that government efforts to combat corruption are effective.
Greece
- 71% believe that bribery/brown envelopes and abuse of power for personal gain are widespread in political parties.
- 63% feel affected by corruption in their daily lives.
- 96% believe there is corruption in both national and local or regional public institutions of the country.
- 92% believe that very close ties between businesses and politics lead to corruption.
- 83% believe that high-level corruption cases are not adequately prosecuted in the country.
- 70% believe that the only way to succeed in business is to have political connections.
- 84% believe that favouritism and corruption hinder business competition.
- 32% know someone who is being bribed or has been bribed.
- 49% believe that the difficulty of proving corruption or the fact that those responsible are unlikely to be punished are deterrents to reporting a corruption case.
Regarding complaints about such matters, 63% would trust the police the most, 36% the justice authorities, while only 13% would trust the media.
With these detailed data, the question is: Are we truly surprised by this pitiful 'first place' for our country at European level? And if not, is it acceptable that we are not surprised?
In a country where journalists are killed in the search for truth, where theatre directors molest children without substantial punishment, in the country of phone tapping and scandals (involving political figures), in the country of foreclosures and political party debts (and many more that require pages and pages to record), perhaps it is finally time to heed the warning bell that has been ringing for so long about the urgent need for change?
KATERINA STOGIOU
Source: europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/3217
