According to the latest report published by Transparency International, Albania’s Corruption Perception Index or its CPI score dropped by one point, ranking us 110th out of 180 countries globally.
The 2021 report published this Tuesday, showed that corruption levels worldwide remain at a standstill – as 86 % of these 180 countries have made little to no progress when it comes to the fight against corruption over the last decade.
Kosovo has actually improved on its CPI score this year, going up three points, which ranked it 87th out of the list of 180 countries. The report states that Kosovo has made a genuine effort in fighting corruption and establishing the rule of law, through making a peaceful transition from one government to the other and prosecuting high-ranking officials.
An area that needed improvement, however, was transparency and accountability when it comes to public procurement processes and foreign aid.
The same went for North Macedonia this year, which tied with Kosovo for the 87th spot.
In terms of Albania, the report stated that journalists continue to suffer intimidation and that concerns of police violence and excessive use of force during demonstrations continued to persist.
In addition, the pandemic according to the CPI index was used as a pretext in our country, to lower the guard and reduce oversight and accountability for public procurement and foreign aid spending, allowing corruption to spread even further.
When comparing countries of the Western Balkans, Albania and Bosnia Hercegovina ranked the same, whereas Kosovo made significant progress.
Meanwhile, Montenegro ranked 46th out of the total 180, and this year, it was amongst the only three countries in the Eastern European and Central Asian regions that scored over the global average – along with Georgia and Armenia.
Serbia on the other hand ranked 38th. In the list of Western Balkans countries it ranked higher but the report specifically noted that Serbia is no longer considered a democracy, but rather a hybrid regime, where government influence on the media and journalists suffering pressure, verbal abuse, and lawsuits, are amongst the greatest issues hampering the fight against corruption.
Denmark, Finland and New Zealand topped the list as the countries which showed the most effort in the fight against corruption.
Somalia, Syria and South Sudan scored lowest in the CPI index, whereas countries like Serbia and Bosnia continue to suffer issues linked to freedom of speech, government interferences on press as well as ethnic disputes.
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