95 percent of Spaniards see corruption as institutionalised

 

95% of Spaniards believe corruption is generalized, according to the first continent-wide study on the issue by the European Commission.

Only respondents in Greece (99%) and Italy (97%) outdid Spain.

The report, which was presented on Monday in Brussels, underscores the magnitude of the issue in Europe: 75% of EU citizens believe corruption is an institutional problem.

In two areas of the survey Spain topped the charts. Asked if the level of corruption has risen in the past 3 years, 77% said yes, more than in the other 27 member states. 66% of all respondents said that corruption affected their daily lives - more than in any other nation. The survey was conducted in February and March 2013, when a series of corruption scandals involving the government, labor unions, political parties and the monarchy occupied the front pages in Spain.

Scandinavian countries registered the lowest perception of institutional corruption. In Denmark, 75% of people answered that they viewed corruption as exceptional, not the rule, followed by 64% in Finland and 54% in Sweden.

The report concluded that legal mechanisms in place across the continent to tackle corruption "are not satisfactory," and that in many cases "political will to eradicate corruption is absent."

Further Reading

* "Spain is NOT Corrupt" : Rajoy

* Spain Targets Political Parties With New Anti-Corruption Law

* Spain Plummets 10 Places In Global Corruption Index