By obtaining 61 points out of 100, “the country returns to equaling the score recorded in 2020, the worst recorded since 2012, and continues below the average value for its region (65 points).” Since 2012, Portugal has introduced minimum annual changes in its scores for this purpose index.
According to Transparency International. “The fact that Portugal was plunged into a political crisis when Prime Minister Antonio Costa resigned after his chief of staff was arrested, as part of Operation Influencer, is an example of how political integrity scandals persist.”.
Therefore, the organization warns of the need to strengthen rules regarding conflicts of interest, ethical standards and transparency in the exercise of public functions and in corporate activities. the pressure.The Transparency International report classifies Portugal as one of the European countries suffering from failures in terms of political integrity.
Transparency International is even urging Portugal to do so To establish more stringent regulations in matters the pressureafter several years of delay,” says Transparency International.
Margarida Manu, head of Transparency International Portugal, says these results “show that it is not enough for a country to have a national anti-corruption strategy; it is essential that this is effective in the fight against corruption.”
“When citizens in general and international organizations are not aware of, or find no evidence of, the impact of existing laws and mechanisms, Governments and institutions cannot be trusted“, Warn.
And the rest of the world?
According to the Rule of Law Index, which is a tool used to measure the extent of application of the rule of law, “The world is witnessing a decline in the performance of justice systems.”.
According to Transparency International, “Both authoritarian regimes and democratic leaders who undermine justice contribute to, and in some cases, encourage, increased impunity for corruption by eliminating consequences for perpetrators.”
The Corruption Perceptions Index 2023 shows this Most countries “have made little progress in combating corruption”. The global average remained unchanged at 43 points for the twelfth year in a row.
Denmark tops the list
With 90 points, Denmark once again tops this year's index, followed by Finland and New Zealand with 87 and 85 points, respectively.
a Somalia (11), Venezuela (13), Syria (13), South Sudan (13), and Yemen (16) occupy the last positions in the index.. Transparency International explains that “all five of these countries are particularly affected by protracted crises, most of which are armed conflicts.”
More than two-thirds of the 180 countries analyzed scored below 50, indicating serious corruption problems, according to Transparency International.
In the Western Europe and EU region, the score fell from 66 to 65 points out of 100. Strong anti-corruption measures continue to be undermined by weak oversight and oversight structures The erosion of integrity in politics also contributes to reducing citizens’ confidence in the ability of European countries to confront the current challenges in the region.
The data also reveals that anti-corruption efforts have “stagnated or declined” in more than three-quarters of European countries. Since 2012, only six countries have improved their scores, and eight of them decreased.
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