| Germany lags behind Hong Kong, Russia behind Nigeria The international non-governmental organization Transparency International (TI) presented simultaneously in Berlin and London an annual report on the level of corruption in various regions and countries of the world. At the presentation of the document “Corruption Perception Index”, which includes 159 countries, two sensations were noted in the German capital.
The first concerns Germany itself. Since the fall of 2004, the level of corruption here has increased slightly. From its previous 15th place, Germany was displaced to 16th by Hong Kong, a former British colony and now a special administrative region of the People's Republic of China. “It is interesting to know that this part of China is a competitor for us not only in the field of high technology, but also in the integration of society’s efforts against corruption,” said Peter von Blomberg, deputy chairman of TI in Germany.
The reason was a series of corruption scandals in which such large companies as Volkswagen, DaimlerChrysler or Infenion were involved. Enterprises suspected of corruption should be excluded from the list of applicants for government contracts. TI experts proposed establishing a central federal register in Germany, which would take into account information received from various sources about corruption in the German economy.
Germany's largest economic partner in Europe, Russia, has also lost its already unenviable position in the corruption ranking over the past year. The country slipped from 90th to 126th place, behind Uganda, Albania and Nigeria. Russia was among nine countries that “significantly worsened” their corruption indicators over the past year: Costa Rica, Gabon, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, Trinidad and Tobago, and Uruguay.
TI experts note that President Vladimir Putin’s efforts to combat corruption are in the nature of “temporary campaigns.” Moreover, in Russia, “the fight against corruption becomes a powerful tool in the hands of the president, who can selectively use it against recalcitrant officials or political opponents.”
The Corruption Perceptions Index consistently attracts the attention of the global business community. It is based on surveys of businessmen, analysts, and scientists. Scores for each country are given on a ten-point system. According to the latest assessment results, 70 states scored below three points. “This points to extremely serious problems with corruption in the countries concerned,” said Hansjörg Elshorst, head of the local TI office in Berlin. “Corruption is one of the main causes of poverty.” The assessment of the level of perception of corruption in Russia is 2.4 points. The list of 159 countries is completed by Bangladesh and Chad, whose score was 1.7 points. Yuri Shpakov, Berlin |
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