Friday, June 24, 2011

CORRUPTION IN THE EUROPEAN UNION by EUROPEAN COMMISSION

''Four out of five EU citizens regard corruption1 as a serious problem in their Member State2.
Despite the fact that the European Union over the last decades has contributed significantly to
opening up Europe and making it more transparent, it is evident that a lot remains to be done.
It is not acceptable that an estimated 120 billion Euros per year, or one percent of the EU
GDP3, is lost to corruption. This is certainly not a new problem to the EU, and we will not be
able to totally eradicate corruption from our societies, but it is telling that the average score of
the EU27 in Transparency International's Corruption Perception Index has improved only
modestly over the last ten years4.
Although the nature and extent of corruption vary, it harms all EU Member States and the
EU as a whole. It inflicts financial damage by lowering investment levels, hampering the fair
operation of the internal market and reducing public finances. It causes social harm as
organised crime groups use corruption to commit other serious crimes, such as trafficking in
drugs and human beings. Moreover, if not addressed, corruption can undermine trust in
democratic institutions and weaken the accountability of political leadership.
''

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