Over 95 percent of citizens in Greece, Portugal, Malta and Slovenia said they believe corruption was prevalent in their home countries.

Over two thirds of European Union citizens believe corruption is widespread in their country, according to polling published Wednesday.

`The Eurobarometer survey found 68 percent of Europeans said corruption was prevalent, with the highest percentages recorded among residents of Greece (98 percent), Portugal (96 percent), Malta (95 percent) and Slovenia (95 percent).

The lowest percentages were recorded in Finland (18 percent), Denmark (26 percent) and Luxembourg (43 percent). About a quarter of Europeans (27 percent) said they had personally experienced in corruption in their daily lives, and 75 percent said business and politics were too closely linked, creating the conditions for corruption to flourish.

The polling was released in tandem with the European Commission’s annual Rule of Law Report, which takes stock of anticorruption measures in EU member countries. The 2024 report raised the alarm about “certain criminal law reforms” in the bloc that “risk undermining the fight against corruption.”

It singled out Slovakia, where lawmakers in February approved a plan to reduce the penalties for corruption and fraud, and Italy, which recently scrapped the crime of abuse of office.

Seb Starcevic is a Breaking News Reporter at POLITICO based in Brussels.

More about: