U.S., EU worried about rise in corruption

TIRANA, Feb 3 – The United States and the European Union have signaled this week they are increasingly worried about the rise of corruption in many new democracies, including the Western Balkans.
“We see a disturbing trend in too many parts of Central and Eastern Europe and the Balkans. The aspirations of citizens are once again being trampled beneath corrupt, oligarchic interests, interests that use money to stifle political opposition and dissent, to buy politicians and media outlets, and to weaken judicial independence and the rights of nongovernmental organizations,” U.S. State Secretary John Kerry said in a speech at the Munich Security Conference
A report by the European Union this week also showed that corruption was not only a problem with aspirant states, but also states that were already part of the bloc.
Corruption continues to be a challenge for Europe נa phenomenon that costs the European economy around 120 billion euros per year. EU member countries have taken many initiatives in recent years, but the results are uneven and more should be done to prevent and punish corruption, the commission said.
Cecilia Malmstr