Transparency International: Russia is among the most corrupt countries in Europe and Central Asia
Russia has made the list of the most corrupt countries in Europe and Central Asia, according to the study "Global Corruption Barometer” published by Transparency International.
In the study, respondents answered questions about the most serious problems facing their countries, about how they evaluate the corruption of government institutions and about the efforts of the country's leadership to combat corruption.
"These studies suggest that corruption is perceived by the Russians as the third most important problem in the country after the economic situation and the situation with the health care. Corruption is a more important topic for the respondents than education, unemployment and crime," the report says. Activists say that "If we talk about the areas where Russians are actually faced with corruption, it is most often happens in medicine, education and the police."
Forty-two percent of respondents said that ordinary citizens are not able to reduce the level of corruption. However, the majority of the respondents refused to comment on corruption in public institutions.
"Assessing the reasons people do not report corruption, 17% of the respondents said that it is simply dangerous," Transparency International says. 16% said that it makes no sense to report on corruption. 14% do not believe it would be possible to prove the crime and 11% are afraid to admit their involvement in the crimes.
Meanwhile, 34% of those surveyed admitted that they have resorted to bribery at least once. 11% were afraid to report about the commitment of the offense. Activists also distributed recommendations on how to fight corruption in Russia.
Transparency International believes that to cope with this problem several changes would be helpful. Lobbying activities must be introduced at the legislative level. Measures to increase the transparency and independence of the judiciary from other branches of government must be introduced. People reporting on corruption must be protected.
The most corrupt countries in Europe and Central Asia include Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Lithuania, Moldova, Serbia and Ukraine.
"The Global Corruption Barometer" has been published for the ninth time. Previous research was published in 2013. This year, the research covers 42 countries in Europe and Central Asia, including European Union countries, EU candidate countries and CIS countries.