First EU Anti-Corruption Report published in Februar 2014
by Claudia
First EU Anti-Corruption Report published in Februar 2014
Corruption alone is estimated to cost the EU economy EUR 120 billion per year, just a little less than the annual budget of the European Union. In comparison: Austria loses EUR 17 billion on corruption per year (Prof. Friedrich Schneider, "Johannes Kepler Universität" Linz).
As of this year, the European commission will publish its Anti-Corruption Report every two years. This Report includes an analysis of corruption as well as the preventive measures of each Member State. Finally, the Commission identifies steps how to address corruption more effectively.
The European Commission has the following suggestions for Austria:
- Specialised prosecutors should be guaranteed the necessary resources to ensure proper processing of corruption cases.
- The prosecution of bribery would be more effective if – in cases of suspicion of corruption – information on bank accounts would be easier to access.
- A monitoring mechanism for checking declarations of assets for elected and appointed senior officials should be introduced.
The European Commission also presents two extensive opinion polls. The results for Austria are as follows:
- 66 percent of Austrians agree that corruption is widespread in their home country.
- Austria is the only country in Western Europe where almost one-third of respondents would find it acceptable to do a favour or give a gift in exchange for a public service.
- 40 percent of Austrian companies consider corruption to be an obstacle for doing business.
In Austria, the level of corruption is highest for favouring friends and family in business (43 %), followed by offering a gift or a free trip for a public service (34 %) and bribes (22 %) - see chart.
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