Corruption Perceptions Index 2020 - Executive Summary

UNDER EMBARGO UNTIL 06:01 CET, 28 JANUARY 2020 WESTERN EUROPE & EUROPEAN UNION With an average score of 66, Western Europe and the European Union (EU) is the highest performing region on the CPI, but under enormous strain due to COVID-19. 31 66 /100 COUNTRIES ASSESSED AVERAGE REGIONAL SCORE TOP SCORERS BOTTOM SCORERS ROMANIA FINLAND HUNGARY DENMARK 88 /100 85 /100 85 /100 44 /100 44 /100 44 /100 BULGARIA SWEDEN Western Europe and the EU score among the highest countries on the CPI, with Denmark (88) hitting the top spot, followed by Finland (85), Sweden (85) and Switzerland (85). Conversely, the lowest performers from the region are Romania (44), Hungary (44) and Bulgaria (44). Across the region, the COVID-19 pandemic has put additional and unexpected pressure on the integrity systems of many countries, making it “a political crisis that threatens the future of liberal democracy”. 103 The pandemic has tested the limits of Europe’s emergency response, and in many cases, countries have fallen short of full transparency and accountability. In Norway (84), the government declared a state of emergency that challenged constitutional regulations. 104 Following constitutional states of emergency in France (69), Hungary (44), Italy (53) and Spain (62), Democracy Reporting International called out governments for significant human rights restrictions. 105 In addition, due to COVID-19, elections have been delayed in at least 11 EU countries. 106 The COVID-19 pandemic exposed serious issues related to the rule of law across the region, with corruption further weakening democracies. 107 Although an ambitious EU stimulus package 108 could be instrumental to member states’ COVID-19 response, such an initiative is saddled with numerous large procurement processes, subject to strict deadlines and vulnerable to potential corruption and integrity challenges. TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL 22