Bribery of officials most common in oil-producing countries
Published:
22 October 2004 y., Friday
Finnish officials and politicians have been found to take fewer bribes than their colleagues in many other countries.
Finland was again deemed to be the least-corrupt country in an international corruption perceptions comparison published on Wednesday by the Berlin-based non-governmental organisation Transparency International.
All Nordic countries were among the top ten least-corrupt countries. In addition to the Nordic region, corruption was perceived to be low in New Zealand, Singapore, Switzerland, Australia, and The Netherlands. The UK and the United States both finished outside the top 10, at 11th and 17th respectively. The situation was worst in Haiti, Bangladesh, Nigeria, and Chad.
Corruption also remains an issue in the EU region, however. For instance, Poland ranked 67th in the list of least corrupt countries, a position it shares with Peru and Croatia. Italy could do no better than 42nd, behind such nations as Malaysia, Tunisia, and Costa Rica (a country that has itself seen its record blemished recently in a scandal that also touched Finland). Greece finished 49th, alongside Surinam.
Germany and France improved their positions from last year. Luxembourg and Cyprus have meanwhile experienced a sharp increase in corruption.
Of the new EU member states, Estonia and Slovenia (=31st) are the least corrupt, while bribery is rampant in the EU applicant countries Turkey (77th) and Romania (87th).
Šaltinis:
helsinginsanomat.fi
Copying, publishing, announcing any information from the News.lt portal without written permission of News.lt editorial office is prohibited.
The most popular articles
For the last 15 years European citizens living in another European country have been able to vote in that country's local and European elections.
more »
Zimbabwe is suffering from cholera.
more »
Metropolitan Kirill will head the Russian Orthodox Church temporarily following the death of Patriarch Alexiy II on Friday.
more »
U.S President George W. Bush celebrates his final Christmas in office - the lighting of the National Christmas tree.
more »
Under new draft laws, people travelling by bus and ship would enjoy the same rights as those taking a plane or train, including the right to meals, hotel accommodation and alternative services if the trip is cancelled or interrupted.
more »
The importance of individual happiness, which can be achieved with the help of universal human values - whether religious or non-religious - was one major theme in an address by the 14th Dalai Lama to the European Parliament on Wednesday.
more »
Although the European Parliament is now much more powerful than when it was first directly elected in 1979, voter turnout for elections has declined steadily, reaching a new low in 2004.
more »
The free tours are run by Sandemans New Europe - set up in 2004 by Chris Sandeman, who chose tourism over his family's traditional sherry business.
more »
Eighteen months after it began work, Parliament's Temporary Committee on Climate Change called for an 80% cut in greenhouse gases by 2050, binding interim targets to improve energy efficiency 20% by 2020 and incentives to encourage everyone to do their bit.
more »
Israeli experts are using good old mathematical models to give a face in a photo the ideal characteristics in just a few mouse clicks.
more »