EU Member States Embezzle $162Bn in a Year

If you think corruption is a Nigerian problem, then wait; that cancer costs the European economy $162 billion dollars annually, pointing that corruption is a global ethical and legal issue.

Anger over corruption has sparked mass demonstrations and even toppled governments in the past few years.

According to European Commission continues to be a challenge which affects all European Union (EU) member-states, adding that member-states have taken many initiatives in recent years, but the results are uneven.

The first anti-corruption report of the EU, released yesterday in Brussels showed that public procurement was particularly prone to corruption in the member-states, owing to deficient control mechanisms and risk management.

It said some sectors, including urban development and construction, healthcare and tax administration, also seem particularly vulnerable to corruption.

Cecilia Malmstrom, EU commissioner for Home Affairs, said in her reaction that corruption undermines citizens’ confidence in democratic institutions and the rule of law.

“It hurts the European economy and deprives states from much-needed tax revenue,’’ she said.

The commissioner said member-states had done a lot in recent years to fight corruption, but lamented that the report shows that it was far from enough.

Malmstrom, therefore, urged EU member-states to follow proposals on counter-corruption listed in the report.

PANA reports that a Eurobarometer survey on the attitude of Europeans towards corruption published on Monday showed that 76 per cent of Europeans think that corruption was widespread.

The survey also showed that 56 per cent think that the level of corruption in their country had increased over the past three years.

It also showed that eight per cent of Europeans said they had experienced or witnessed a case of corruption in the past year.