Different forms of corruption within the EU require different political countermeasures, panelists at the European Week of Regions and Cities 2021 said.
By Christoph Schwaiger (Edited by Dino Subašić)
Associate Professor at the University of Gothenburg Monika Bauhr believes that corruption problems vary in kind and that people designing aid against corruption must keep this in mind.
Bauhr was part of a panel discussing EU funds, the quality of institutions, rule of law, and COVID-19 recovery. The event was organized as part of the 19th European Week of Regions and Cities. The five-person panel discussed the challenges and opportunities involved in providing EU funds in response to the COVID-19 crisis. The overall findings pointed to the need to strengthen the EU's rule of law to safeguard against the political misuse of funds.
Corruption affects health
During the online session, Assistant Professor at the Central European University Mihály Fazekas presented the newly launched Corruption Cost Tracker tool by the Government Transparency Institute. Data shows that COVID-19 spending typically makes corruption risks skyrocket, however, Fazekas mentioned that a return to the “old normal” should be swift.
In their report on the European Quality of Government Index 2021, Nicholas Charron, Victor Lapuente, and Monika Bauhr concluded that the quality of government has important implications for human well-being. They say that corruption has severe effects on the health of a population. Corruption even affects the distribution of medical equipment, drugs, and vaccines with resources ending up in the hands of wealthy elites.
A European issue
It is clear that corruption problems directly impact the EU and its citizens. According to Transparency International’s 2021 Global Corruption Barometer (GCB), almost three in ten EU residents reported that they experienced corruption – they either paid a bribe or used a personal connection to access public services.
Corruption is not only an issue faced by a single member state. Research Scholar for Harvard University Albana Shehaj noted this during the panel discussion, highlighting democratic backsliding and authoritarian risks across Europe and the EU.
A European solution
While there may not be a single solution that eliminates corruption in its various forms, solving Europe’s freedom of expression and information issues could play a part in reducing the figure of 106 million EU citizens that directly experienced corruption in 2021.
“The European Parliament has always been at the forefront when it comes to defending the freedom of expression and information. We have fought for better protection of whistle-blowers so that those who come forward to disclose information on illegal or harmful activities do not have to fear reprisals,” said the President of the European Parliament David Sassoli as he opened the award ceremony for the first edition of the Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize for Journalism this week in Brussels.
This year, the prize was awarded to the journalists from the Pegasus Project coordinated by the Forbidden Stories Consortium.
The panel for the EU Funds, Quality of Sub-national Institutions, Rule of Law, and COVID-19 Recovery event was composed of Monika Bauhr, Nicholas Charron, Mihály Fazekas, and Albana Shehaj. Lewis Dijkstra from the Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy of the European Commission chaired the session.
