Corruption in Lithuania describes the prevention and occurrence of corruption in Lithuania.
Corruption in Lithuania describes the prevention and occurrence of corruption in Lithuania.
The Freedom in the World 2020 report by Freedom House notes that corruption remains an issue in Lithuania, but gives high scores for the main related areas: strong and effective safeguards against official corruption (3 out of 4), government openness and transparency (3 out of 4), and an independent judiciary (3 out of 4). [1]
The European Research Centre for Anti-Corruption and State-Building (ERCAS) notes that while Lithuania has a comprehensive anti-corruption legal base established, the law enforcement institutions are weak. [2] In the Public Integrity Index 2019, published by the Centre, Lithuania ranks 30th out of 117 countries. [3]
According to the Flash Eurobarometer 482: Businesses' attitudes towards corruption in the EU, published by the European Commission in 2019, only 15% of business executives noted corruption as a problem when doing business. [4] The Lithuanian Map of Corruption 2019 report, published by the STT, notes that the percentage of businesses that paid a bribe has been gradually decreasing over the last decades, with only 9% of business paying it in the last 5 years and 5% in the last 12 months. [5]
According to the Global Corruption Barometer of the European Union in 2021 (GCB EU 2021), 48% of Lithuanians think that the government is doing badly in fighting corruption while 42% think it's doing well, nearly matching the EU average of 49% and 43% respectively. [6]
According to the GCB EU 2021 report, people consider that the most corrupt institutions or individuals are: members of parliament (33%), business executives (27%), local government representatives and mayors (21%), judges and magistrates (21%). [6] The report notes the most common cases of bribery in the last 12 months by service: healthcare institutions (19%), identity documents (6%) and police (4%). [6]
Lithuanian Map of Corruption 2019 report, published by STT, provides an overview based on the surveys of population, company executives and public servants. According to the survey of people, the most common forms of corruption are: nepotism, political patronage and bribery. [5] The most common cases of corruption were perceived to be in: healthcare institutions, the courts, the parliament, municipalities and political parties. [5]
According to a Baltijos tyrimai poll in 2019, the police were trusted by 69% of people, the Constitutional Court of Lithuania by 62%, and the STT by 55%. [7] However, only 39% of people trusted the prosecutors and 33% trusted the courts. A survey conducted by Vilmorus in 2020 showed that the most corrupt areas perceived by the respondents were: healthcare (47%), the courts (37%) and the parliament (30%). [8] The same survey notes that Lithuanians regard corruption as the fourth most acute problem in the country. Only 3% of the people surveyed admitted giving a bribe in the previous year.
| Index | Rank | Countries reviewed |
|---|---|---|
| Corruption Perceptions Index 2023 | 34th | 180 |
| ERCAS Public Integrity Index 2019 | 30th | 117 |
According to Transparency International's 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index, Lithuania ranked 34th among the 180 countries in the Index, where the country ranked first is perceived to have the most honest public sector. The Index scores countries on a scale from 0 ("highly corrupt") to 100 ("very clean") and then ranks the countries by score. [9] Lithuania's 2023 rank was based on a score of 61. For comparison with regional scores, the highest score among Western European and European Union countries [Note 1] was 90, the average score was 65 and the lowest score was 42. [10] For comparison with worldwide scores, the best score was 90 (ranked 1), the average score was 43, and the worst score was 11 (ranked 180). [11]
Special Investigation Service (abbreviated as STT, Lithuanian : Specialiųjų tyrimų tarnyba) is the main law enforcement institution in Lithuania to combat corruption. Other law enforcement institutions also play a major role in combating the corruption. In particular, Financial Crime Investigation Service (abbreviated as FNTT, Lithuanian : Finansinių nusikaltimų tyrimo tarnyba) investigates money laundering and major financial fraud activities. National Audit Office of Lithuania (Lithuanian : Valstybės kontrolė) is the supreme audit institution which also supervises the lawfulness and effectiveness of management and use of state funds and resources. [12]
In 2019, the Law on Protection of Whistleblowers entered force, providing legal protection as well as remunerations and other measures for those who report corruption or other infringements. [13] Lobbying in Lithuania is regulated by the Lobbying Act 2001. [14] According to the EU Members' Research Service report from 2016, Lithuania is one of the few EU countries which has the code of conduct and a mandatory register for the lobbyists. [15]
Lithuania participates in:
Police corruption is a form of police misconduct in which law enforcement officers end up breaking their political contract and abusing their power for personal gain. This type of corruption may involve one or a group of officers. Internal police corruption is a challenge to public trust, cohesion of departmental policies, human rights and legal violations involving serious consequences. Police corruption can take many forms, such as: bribery, theft, sexual assault, and discrimination.
Corruption in Armenia has decreased significantly in modern times, but remains an ongoing problem in the country. Despite this, fighting corruption following the 2018 Armenian revolution has recorded significant progress. Armenia is a member of the Council of Europe's Group of States Against Corruption (GRECO) and the OECD's Anti-Corruption Network and Armenia's anti-corruption measures are regularly evaluated within their monitoring mechanisms.
Finland's overall corruption is relatively low, according to public opinion and global indexes and standards. The 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index released by Transparency International scored Finland at 87 on a scale from 0 to 100. When ranked by score, Finland ranked second among the 180 countries in the Index, where the country or countries ranked first are perceived to have the most honest public sector. Finland has ranked first, second or third every year since the current version of the Index was introduced in 2012. For comparison with 2023 worldwide scores, the best score was 90, the average score was 43, and the worst score was 11. For comparison with regional scores, the highest score among Western European and European Union countries was 90, the average score was 65 and the lowest score was 42.
Corruption in France describes the prevention and occurrence of corruption in France.
Corruption in Romania has decreased in recent years. In particular since 2014, Romania undertook a significant anti-corruption effort that included the investigation and prosecution of medium- and high-level political, judicial and administrative officials by the National Anticorruption Directorate. The National Anticorruption Directorate was established in 2002 by the Romanian government to investigate and prosecute medium and high-level corruption related offenses, using a model of organization inspired by similar structures in Norway, Belgium and Spain. Adrian Zuckerman, the US Ambassador in Romania, has stated in 2021 that "the rule of law has been strengthened in Romania". Since 2022, the effectiveness of the investigation and sanctioning of high-level corruption further improved, including by advancing on cases that had been pending for years for procedural reasons.
Corruption in Sweden has been defined as "the abuse of power" by Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention (Brå). By receiving bribes, bribe takers abuse their position of power, which is consistent with how the National Anti-Corruption Unit of the Swedish Prosecution Authority specifies the term. Although bribes and improper rewards are central in the definition of corruption in Sweden, corruption in the sense of "abuse of power" can also manifest itself in other crimes such as misuse of office, embezzlement, fraud and breach of trust against a principal.
Corruption in Denmark is amongst the lowest in the world.
Corruption in Switzerland describes the prevention and occurrence of corruption in Switzerland.
Levels of corruption in Luxembourg are generally said to be very low, and there a strong legal framework for combating corruption in the country. Surveys however indicate that a majority of the population believe political parties are either "corrupt" or "extremely corrupt."
Corruption in Iceland describes the prevention and occurrence of corruption in Iceland.
Corruption in Latvia is examined on this page.
In 2013, a report by Transparency International revealed that political parties, Parliament, the judiciary and the military are the most corrupt institutions in Portugal. Transparency International's 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index ranks the country in 33rd place out of 180 countries in the Index.
Transparency International's 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index scored Germany at 78 on a scale from 0 to 100. When ranked by score, Germany ranked 9th among the 180 countries in the Index, where the country ranked first is perceived to have the most honest public sector. For comparison with worldwide scores, the best score was 90, the average score was 43, and the worst score was 11. For comparison with regional scores, the highest score among Western European and European Union countries was 90, the average score was 65 and the lowest score was 42.
Corruption in the Netherlands is minimal in all major areas—judiciary, police, business, politics—as the country is considered one of the least corrupt within the European Union.
Corruption in the Czech Republic is considered to be widespread by a majority of the Czech public, according to Transparency International’s Global Corruption Barometer 2013.
Corruption in Slovenia is examined on this page.
Austria has a well-developed institutional and legal system, and most corruption cases under investigation by a parliamentary committee end with judicial trials and effective judgments. However, there are several significant Austrian corruption cases which have taken place during the past decade involving land and regional officials, high-level public officials, the central government and, in one instance, the former Chancellor.
Corruption in Slovakia is a serious and ongoing problem.
As of the early 2020s, Croatia has severe problems with systemic and political corruption. Among European Union member states, it is generally ranked as one of the five most corrupt states.
Corruption in Bulgaria has decreased in recent years, after a series of reforms implemented through EU guidance. Among recent improvements, amendments to the constitution in 2015 brought about a reform of the Supreme Judicial Council and a stronger judicial inspectorate. Furthermore, the broader legislative framework has seen a number of reforms over the years, in particular through the amendments of the Judicial System Act in 2016 and of the Criminal Procedure Code in 2017.