(source: TASR/AP)
The coronavirus pandemic worsened corruption in the EU, according to the corruption watchdog Transparency International.
The NGO said that citizens have sometimes used personal connections to get medical care and some governments have used the crisis for their own enrichment.
Transparency International conducted a poll from October to December 2020 on 40,000 people in 27 EU member countries, including Slovakia, where 2,001 respondents participated.
In Slovakia, 19 percent of respondents said that corruption worsened in the last 12 months in their country.In Slovakia, 19 percent of respondents said that corruption worsened in the last 12 months in their country.
26 percent of Slovaks had to use personal relationships to gain healthcare, education and other public services. This percentage is the lowest among V4 countries; Czechs are the leaders in this regard with 57 percent. In France and Portugal, 48 percent of people admitted to using connections. On the other hand, in Estonia, the figure was only 12 percent.
11 percent admitted to bribing
One in ten Slovaks (11 percent) admitted to bribing in the last year, usually with a contact within public institutions, most often healthcare.
This is higher than the EU average of 7 percent. Romania had the highest rate within the EU (20 percent).
39 percent of Slovaks opined that the rate of corruption in the country is decreasing while 19 percent believe it is growing. In the EU, one-third of people think corruption has deteriorated in the country.
The biggest increase was perceived in Hungary (40 percent), Poland (37 percent) and also in Austria and the Czech Republic (29 percent each).
56 percent of Slovaks think that the government is controlled by interest groups. This is close to the EU average and the percentages in Austria and Hungary. The rate is higher in Czechia (67 percent) and Poland (61 percent).
“Almost eight out of ten Slovaks think that even an ordinary person can contribute to fighting corruption,” Transparency International Slovakia wrote. “It is perfect news because there is no better environment for corruption practices than an apathic public.”
