Europe corruption extent ‘breathtaking’: EU CommissionerFebruary 3, 2014 - 14:57 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The extent of corruption in Europe is "breathtaking" and it costs the EU economy about 120bn euros annually, the European Commission says, according to BBC News. EU Home Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malmstroem will present a full report on the problem at 11:30 GMT. Writing in Sweden's Goeteborgs-Posten daily, she said corruption was eroding trust in democracy and draining resources from the legal economy. For the report the Commission studied corruption in all 28 EU member states. "The extent of the problem in Europe is breathtaking, although Sweden is among the countries with the least problems," Malmstroem wrote. The Commission says it is the first time it has produced such a report. It also makes recommendations on how to tackle corruption. Malmstroem said that in some countries public procurement procedures were vulnerable to fraud, while in others party financing was the main problem, or municipal bodies were badly affected. And in some countries patients have to pay bribes in order to get adequate medical care, she wrote. The study includes two major opinion polls, which indicated that three-quarters of EU citizens consider corruption to be widespread in their country. Four out of 10 of the businesses surveyed described corruption as an obstacle to doing business in Europe. In Sweden, 18% of people surveyed said they knew someone who had received a bribe, compared with a European average of 12%, Malmstroem said. Despite that finding, she said Sweden "is undoubtedly one of the countries with the least problems with corruption, and other EU countries should learn from Sweden's solutions for dealing with the problem", pointing to the role of laws on transparency and openness. Related links: Top stories Yerevan has dismissed Turkey’s demand to shut down the Armenian nuclear power plant as “inappropriate”. Armenia will loan 2.9 billion drams to Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh), according to a draft government decision. The Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Azerbaijan has “strongly condemned” Armenia’s decision. Kerobyan has said that for the first time in the history of Armenia, the volume of foreign direct investments amounted to about $1 billion. Partner news | Kazakhstan welcomes Yerevan, Baku’s agreement to meet in Almaty Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has welcomed the agreement of Baku and Yerevan to hold negotiations in Almaty. Armenia offers to temporarily host, preserve Gaza manuscripts The Armenian Foreign Minister has said Yerevan is ready to help preserve manuscripts from the conflict zone in Gaza. Aliyev says no need for mediators in Armenia-Azerbaijan process Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev believes that Baku and Yerevan do not mediators in the process of normalizing relations. Aram I supports Karekin II’s “patriotic position” Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia Aram I has expressed support for the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. |