27th January 2016

Transparency International Czech Republic: Corruption Perceptions Index 2015: Czech Rep. up 16 places, still far bellow European average

Transparency International (TI) released their Corruption Perceptions Index 2015 (CPI), with Czech Republic moving up from 53rd place in 2014 to 37th place in 2015 in this worldwide ranking.

Among the EU member states, the Czech Republic ranks 22nd, compared with 25th place in 2014. "We expected the continuous upward trend, but not such a steep improvement, really, said Radim Bureš, Program Director of TI Czech Republic, adding that still, the Czech Republic reached 56 out of 100 points in the CPI assessment, but the European average is 67 points.

So what is behind the success? The Czech branch of TI says that data for the 2015 Corruption Perceptions Index were collected in 2014 and 2015, the CPI score reflect long-term trends and effects of measures adopted in the past years. This includes not only current government of Bohuslav Sobotka, but also the government of Petr Nečas and measures adopted by his Vice PM for fight against corruption Karolína Peake.

Among key measures determining the Czech position in the 2015 CPI were changes in the system of state prosecution after 2012, steps against organized corruption linked to politicians (criminal proceedings), improved system of management and control of public spending (including EU funds management), engaged citizens entering politics at the municipal level and various initiatives within the private sector.

Read details here (in Czech).

Members of the American Chamber of Commerce in the Czech Republic