Is Corruption Widespread in the EU?

A corruption scandal is currently rocking the European Union. Greek politician Eva Kaili, vice-president of the European Parliament , was charged with corruption in a case linked to Qatar and imprisoned on Sunday in Brussels, along with three other people. The investigators' suspicions relate to large sums of money allegedly paid by the 2022 World Cup host country to influence European politics.

For most European citizens, the fact that a corruption case is emerging from within European institutions should not be a big surprise. Last spring, an average of 68 percent of respondents in an EU-wide survey said corruption was widespread in their country. So why should it be any different in Strasbourg or Brussels? As our infographic shows, Greece leads all EU countries in the perception of corruption. According to the Danes, corruption is not particularly widespread in Denmark. Along with Finland, Denmark is the only EU member state where fewer than one in five citizens believe that corruption is still prevalent at the national level.