Estonia's position did not change in Transparency International's corruption perceptions index in 2022, with the country tied for 14-17th place with Canada, Iceland and Uruguay.
"There have been no significant changes for us this time, positive or negative. Our position has not changed, which is indicative of a slumbering state and requires fresh initiatives. While Estonia has gained 10 points since 2012, we have rather been stagnant since 2018. Our position is by no means bad, while we could do a lot better," said Steven-Hristo Evestus, head of Transparency International Estonia.
The corruption perceptions index looks at the level of corruption in the public sector and policymaking as perceived by foreign experts and business circles. The results are presented on a scale of 0-100 where 0 indicates a very high level of corruption and 100 very low. No one has scored a perfect 100 over the years, while the Nordic countries are firmly on course.
The 2022 index reveals most countries have not made progress fighting corruption in the last decade or have found no success to begin with, with over two-thirds of the world's countries scoring fewer than 50 points of the possible 100.
In 2022, public access to the business register was created, which helps establish corruption and money laundering risks by disclosing companies' ownership structure. At the same time, legislation to protect whistleblowers, amendments to the Political Parties Act and putting together a good lobbying practice and its introduction in the parliament and local governments have all been shelved. This inactivity has left the door open to policy being hijacked, illegal cash flow and removal from the principles of inclusive and transparent policymaking, Evestus remarked.
The corruption perceptions index pools the results of up to 13 independent studies and expert reports. The index does not reflect private sector corruption and incidents of money laundering.
Read the article at ERR.