Madrid, January 31, 2024
Spain has obtained a score of 60 out of 100 points in the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) 2023 published today by Transparency International. Our country remains at the same figure as last year (CPI 2022), however, it drops one position in the world ranking, placing it in 36th place out of 180 countries and territories analyzed.
Irene Bravo, director of Prevention, Training and Documentation, and Pilar Moreno, training technician of the Valencian Anti-Fraud Agency, attended the presentation of the results of the CPI 2023 at the Ortega – Marañón Foundation.
The day began with the Ortega – Marañón Foundation welcoming the attendees and the presentation of the methodology used to obtain the CPI by Silvia Bacigalupo, president of Transparency International Spain.
The professor of Political Science, Manuel Villoria, founder and member of the Board of Directors of Transparency International, Spanish chapter, analyzed the result obtained by Spain in which he highlighted the stagnation and certain setback that highlights the persistent challenge for progress in the prevention and fight against corruption in our country.
Spain’s score remains the same as the previous year, but it stands out that in the previous two years it experienced two consecutive declines, decreasing one point in 2022 and another in 2021. In the world ranking, our country has dropped four positions with respect to the CPI 2020 (32/180). This trend highlights, according to Transparency International, the difficulties that public policies in Spain still face to improve the prevention and fight against corruption.
In the CPI 2023 ranking, Spain is located, together with Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Latvia, one place above Botswana (39/180), two above Qatar (40/180), and two places below Lithuania and Portugal (rank 34/80 and score 61/180).
The registration of interest groups, the reinforcement of conflict of interest and incompatibilities rules, as well as the development of a national strategic plan to combat corruption, the application of Law 2/2023, of February 20, regulating the protection of informants from regulatory infractions and the fight against corruption, together with the approval and implementation of the laws that remain to be approved of those included in the IV Open Government Plan, stood out as recommendations to be developed for a future improvement of the Spain’s position in the CPI 2023.
David Martínez, executive director of Transparency International Spain, exposed the link between corruption and injustice and expressed the global decline in justice and the rule of law since 2016. Transparency International calls on States to grant justice systems the independence, resources and transparency necessary to effectively prosecute all corruption offenses and establish appropriate controls to prevent it.
The director of Prevention, Training and Documentation of the AVAF, Irene Bravo, during question time, welcomed the recommendation made in the analysis of the CPI 2023 on the need to approve a national strategy to combat corruption, which includes preventive measures and a complete approach to public integrity to protect all types of public funds against any type of irregularity, since only in this way will it be possible to climb positions in the Corruption Perception Index.
The presentation of the CPI 2023 was attended by representatives of the Andalusian Anti-Fraud Office, the Transparency Council of Spain, the General Directorate of Public Governance of the Ministry of Digital Transformation and Public Function, the Hay Derecho Foundation, among others.
The Corruption Perception Index, since its creation in 1995, has become one of the main global indicators of corruption in the public sector. The CPI scores 180 countries and territories around the world based on perceptions of the level of corruption in the public sector, using data from 13 external sources including the World Bank, the World Economic Forum, private companies consultancy and risk assessment, specialist groups and other sources. The scores reflect the perspectives of business specialists, but not citizen perceptions.
Corruption, in light of the data and according to Transparency International, continues to be a serious problem that should put citizens and public authorities on alert.
Transparency International has been part of the Participation Council of the Valencian Anti-Fraud Agency since its constitution in October 2019. This council is the participation body of which civic and social organizations that stand out for their fight against fraud and corruption and for the promotion of public ethics and integrity.
The conference, held in the auditorium of the Casa de Cultura, also included as speakers the jurist and consultant on contracting, Javier Vázquez Matilla, the contracting department of the Calp City Council; Rocío Fernández Serrano, deputy deputy director of the Head of the Telematic Accounting Unit at the Court of Accounts; as well as Elena García Martínez, auditor of the Sant Vicent del Raspeig City Council, and Juan José Orquín Serrano, general deputy secretary of the Plenary Session of the Madrid City Council.
During the day, public policies on corruption were addressed by Anselm Bodoque, head of the AVAF Training Service. Pilar Moreno, training technician, focused on promoting the culture of public integrity and preventing risks in decision-making in the local administration. While Marita Oliver, Training technician, highlighted the detection, correction and prosecution phases of the anti-corruption cycle.
