Austria is becoming more and more corrupt, as the 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) published on Tuesday gave the country 71 out of 100 points, thus ranking 22nd, closely followed by countries such as Seychelles, Taiwan and the United Arab Emirates.
Austria continues to lose in the 2022 Corruption Index of Transparency International, dropping three points from the previous year and five compared to 2020. The country has fallen out of the Top 20, with its worst result since 2014.
“Last year, Austria was ranked 13th, and now we’re all feeling the consequences of the fact that policymakers have been very slow if at all, to tackle anti-corruption measures,” Professor Eva Geiblinger, Chairman of the Board of Transparency International Austria, warned.
Also, the recently published report of GRECO, the Group of States for Combating Corruption, criticises that efforts to fight corruption are not enough and are in need of intensification, Geiblinger stressed.
Austria was shaken by various corruption scandals in the past years, beginning with the Ibiza gate affair that led to the collapse of the government in 2019 when a secretly recorded video was published showing then right-wing opposition politician Heinz-Christian Strache (who became vice-chancellor) and Johann Gudenus discussing unethical practices.
Another scandal around chat protocols, which involved allegations of corruption and misuse of state funds, led to ex-chancellor Sebastian Kurz stepping down in October 2021. He was succeeded by current Chancellor Karl Nehammer.
“The purchase of mandates and the bribery of future public officials are still not punishable by law,” said Georg Krakow, a member of the Board of Transparency International Austria.
About two weeks ago, the Austrian Conservative-green government presented a legislative draft of a new anti-corruption law, which foresees expanding the criminal liability for the purchase of mandates and stricter rules for associations with political contacts.
“The draft that has recently been presented is still inadequate,” Krakow said. “It is high time to create freedom of information. Austria is at the bottom of the league in Europe in this respect,” he added.
As last year, Denmark remains in first place in the Corruption Perceptions Index of 2022. New Zealand and Finland achieved second place. Hungary is the most corrupt country in the EU, ranking 77th internationally, on par with countries such as Burkina Faso or Kuwait.
(Chiara Swaton | EURACTIV.de)
Source: euractiv.com
