Most Romanians believe corruption in their country is more widespread than other European Union Countries, and more than half of Romanians think they are well informed about corruption, found a recent Eurobarometer study issues by the European Commission. Romania recorded a 78 percentage of respondents who believe corruption is more widespread than in the EU, while Greece tops the list with 80 percent. Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands (all with 2 percent) are the least likely to think corruption is more widespread in their countries than in the EU.

Moreover, 96 percent of Romanians say corruption is a major issue in their country. Romania is also the country with the worst perceptions, meaning the lowest levels of respondent disagreement on being personally affected by corruption in their daily life, with 18 percent. It is followed by Greece – 27 percent and Cyprus, 36 percent.

Countries with particularly strong perceptions that levels of corruption have increased are Romania (67 percent), while 58 percent of its respondents saying that they think it has increased “a lot”, found the survey. Decreasing corruption was perceived in Estonia, Ireland, Poland, Belgium, Bulgaria and Latvia.

Opinion about corruption within customs services has, like views of the police, improved in most countries. The only notable exception is Romania, where impressions have worsened dramatically - plus 14 points. While they expect corruption to be more widespread in state institutions, Romanians don't think private companies are subject to corruption.

At least a quarter of respondents say that they have been asked or expected to pay a bribe in four countries, Romania leading the pack with 31 percent, followed by Lithuania (27 percent), Slovakia (27 percent) and Bulgaria (25 percent).

The report concludes that corruption remains a major problem in the countries of the European Union and levels are thought to have risen over the last three years. The data shows that almost three quarters of Europeans continue to see corruption as a major problem and think that it exists at all levels of government. Eight percent of respondents say that they have been asked or expected to pay a bribe in the past year. Read the full report here.

Romanian justice started to issue jail sentences for corruption for former ministers, such as former PM Adrian Nastase and former Agriculture Minister Decebal Traian Remes.  Corruption and conclusive results in the fight against it were the subject of the European Commission's latest justice report on Romania. 

editor@romania-insider.com