Inserts:

00:02 Report by / Alexa Meyer
01:22 François Valérian / Chair of Transparency International
02:07 François Valérian / Chair of Transparency International

Script:

2025 saw a wave of anti-corruption protests led by Gen Z, mostly in countries in the bottom half of the organization's corruption perceptions index. Like Nepal or Madagascar, whose scores have largely stagnated or declined over the past decade. Young people took to the streets to criticise leaders for abusing their power while failing to deliver public services and economic opportunity.

But anti-corruption efforts have also largely stalled in many European countries over the past decade, according to Transparency International. Leaders point to security, economic or geopolitical issues as reasons to centralise power and roll back commitments to internationally agreed standards – including anti-corruption measures. 

00.36 +++Graphic starts+++
Two european countries, Denmark and Finland still lead the Index as the least corrupt countries with scores of 89 and 88, followed by Singapore.  At the bottom of the list  - far below the global average score of 42,  the lowest level in more than a decade, are Venezuela, Somalia and South Sudan. According to Transparency International the 2025 Index shows that corruption is worsening globally.  
+++Graphic ends++++

01:02 
The index  - a scale of zero for highly corrupt to 100 for very clean -  scores 182 countries and territories around the world based on perceptions of public sector corruption, using data from 13 external sources, including the World Bank, World Economic Forum, private risk and consulting companies, think tanks and others.

01:22 
SOT François Valérian, Chair of Transparency International:
"We have anti-corruption laws, which exist. There are anti-corruption bodies. Simply, the laws are not implemented, and the bodies lack independence and resources. And there is lack of interest among a number of governments, particularly from the North, which think that they've already addressed corruption, and there is no need to further act."

01:44 
Transparency International says that their data show that democracies, typically stronger on anti-corruption than autocracies or flawed democracies, are experiencing a worrying decline in performance.  And that this trend spans countries such as the United States, but also various parts of Europe, like France and the UK. The organisation demands:  

02:07
SOT François Valérian, Chair of Transparency International:
"We need to have a judiciary system which is independent from the executive branch of the government, which is independent of the private interests as well. And the judiciary system, which has sufficient staff and financial resources, To do its job."

02:28 
Late last year, the EU agreed its first Anti-Corruption Directive, an effort to harmonise criminal laws on corruption. But it will be some time before any results become visible. 

END