When it comes to bribery and corruption, many think of South America or Africa. But even in Germany, lobbyists see problems - and little progress in the fight against them. Corruption and bribery are a problem for most countries worldwide. In Transparency International's Corruption Index, all countries scored an average of only 43 out of a possible 100 points. At the top of the ranking are Denmark and New Zealand. The European countries together score an average of 66 points. Germany scored the ninth place in the ranking, not because things have improved in Germany, but because others have gotten a little worse. Germany was previously at the eleventh place. Worldwide, more than two thirds of all countries only achieve a score below 50. According to Transparency's list, the highest levels of corruption are found in Syria, Southern Sudan and Somalia. Transparency chairman Hartmut Bäumer also sees room for improvement for Germany. It is noticeable, he said, that the Federal Republic has again deteriorated in terms of corruption in the economy. "There will certainly be major scandals, some of which have become well-known and are still playing a role, that are now being rekindled". The Cum-Ex scandal about illegal banking transactions, for example, or the diesel scandal. According to Transparency, a lobby register is necessary to track who has influenced when and where. The organization also calls for more transparent party financing. Too often donations are not disclosed and gaps in sponsorship are exploited. There is a statement by a commission of the Council of Europe on this, says Bäumer: "It has been clearly stated that, especially in Germany, better rules for lobbying, more extensive disclosure obligations in the case of conflicts of interest and better enforcement of existing disclosure obligations and rules must be guaranteed or established." Source: tagesschau.de Archives October 2020 CategoriesAll Family Finance SELF DEVELOPMENT SHOPPING Disover More articles |