Cyprus among leaders in corruption perception

Corruption takes many forms including bribery, trading in influence and abuse of functions. A recent Eurobarometer survey set out to gauge awareness levels of the problem among EU citizens. When asked if the problem of corruption is widespread, nearly all respondents in Greece, 96%, said yes. The same trend was also seen in Spain, Cyprus, Croatia, Lithuania and Portugal.

Across the EU, an average of 68% said that corruption is widespread, while in Cyprus the rate of opinion among the 302 companies surveyed was 100%.

Even though the share considering the problem common was far lower in the United Kingdom and Germany, over half of people in both countries still thought it was widespread. The lowest share was recorded in Scandinavia. In Denmark, only 22% thought corruption was common, along with 21% in Finland.

According to Transparency International – Cyprus, 92% of companies in Cyprus believe the relationship between politicians and enterprises is too close, while the European average was 50%. Furthermore, 68% believe corruption is a problem in carrying out business activities, while the European average was 37%, and 38% believe they did not gain a public tender due to corruption, compared to the 31% European average.

In Cyprus, 21% believe it is acceptable to give a gift to a public officer in return for service, while 78% believe it is not acceptable to do so. Furthermore, 77% believe corruption is worse in the health sector, 65% in political parties, 56% in the police, 56% in town planning, and 88% at local authorities.

On the other hand, 30% believe there is adequate transparency, up 21% since 2013, and 90% believe bribery and kickbacks are the easiest way to receive services in the public sector.

Furthermore, while 36% say that there are adequate convictions for corruption, 77% add that high-ranking officials are not pursued for corruption, 57% that the measures taken to fight corruption are inadequate, and 32% that the measures are implemented without discrimination. Lastly, 56% say that they know where to report corruption cases, but 51% said they would not do so because they are not protected.