Corruption in the EU’s poorest state has reached record levels, according to a new report.
The research by the Study for Democracy, a Sofia-based think tank, found the number of people participating in corruption is now the highest in 15 years, and has increased despite significant pressure from Brussels on Bulgaria to improve in its fight against corruption.
Some 158,000 corrupt transactions are believed to be carried out each month.
The report found this year 39% of Bulgarians aged over 18 had come under pressure to pay a bribe, and 29% had done so.
Corruption was most acute in the civil administration, but 2014 also saw a "formidable scale of political corruption," the study found. It also noted that criminal law enforcement was “ineffective and inadequate” as a result.
Various European institutions have cited Bulgaria as one of Europe’s most corrupt nations and it is under assessment for progress in eliminating corruption and organised crime.
If this report is to be believed, progress looks non-existent.
Eliminating corruption was supposedly one of the criteria for entry into the EU.
Bulgaria has suffered from the rapid succession of a number of governments which have not had much time to institute anti-corruption measures.
Comments
This was never implemented earlier. Take Portugal's case !
At least a quarter of everything bought and sold still being under the radar - 30 years after 'accession talks'. Entire sectors of the economic activity not properly taxed.
Much of it driven by Portugal's totally insane anti-EU racist prejudices. In trying to restrict any EU incomers to, say, the Portuguese tourism sector.
No opportunity to correctly licence any such business and rampant over-charging by architects and builders, with municipal support, of any project that gets within miles of a municipal.
Making it, as intended for the incoming EU citizen, economically un-feasible to progress their business.
Oblivious to the reality that in more developed countries the real battle for a business is after it is licensed; open and competing. Here in Portugal actually competing is the impossibility !
So driving inward bound investment that originally intended to be legitimate - under ground or away.
To everyone in the EU's loss.