Anti-Corruption Pendulum in Ukraine: a Step Forward After a Step Back

Ukraine received 33 points out of 100 in the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) for 2022. This year, our score has increased by one point, and now Ukraine ranks 116th out of 180 countries.  

The information is available on the website of Transparency International Ukraine.

Over the past 10 years, the indicator of Ukraine has increased by 8 points. The points scored by Ukraine in 2022 is the highest indicator of our country since the launch of the updated CPI methodology. 

We should note that the CPI-2022 did not include the latest high-profile anti-corruption investigations that rocked Ukraine in January. However, it is highly likely that these events will be reflected in next year's study. Unfortunately, we have to state that there is corruption even in times of war. Therefore, Ukraine's progress on the anti-corruption front, in particular, depends on proper access to data of the public and journalists, who have to monitor and control the actions of the authorities. 

«Ukraine has shown that our fight against corruption continues even in war conditions,» explains Andrii Borovyk, Executive Director of Transparency International Ukraine. «However, we should understand that the entire success of the anti-corruption reform over the past decade can quickly come to naught. The latest high-profile corruption cases concerning, in particular, procurement during the war with russia, are difficult to explain not only to Ukrainians, who, each on their own front, are fighting for our freedom, but also to foreign partners. If the data that do not pose a threat to security continue to be closed, the e-declaration of officials will not be restored and, in general, Ukrainians will have extremely limited opportunities to learn about the work of the government, we will lose our positions faster than we can imagine». 

At the beginning of 2022, Transparency International Ukraine provided 5 specific recommendations, the implementation of which could significantly improve our performance in the study. None of these recommendations were fully implemented, 4 were partially implemented, and 1 was not implemented at all.

It should be noted that some recommendations were implemented under martial law — the head of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office was appointed, the Anti-Corruption Strategy for 2021-2025 was approved, although without several important provisions. At the same time, the reform of the Constitutional Court failed — on December 20, Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed the draft law No.7662 adopted by the parliament, which contains significant risks and contradicts the updated opinion of the Venice Commission.

This year, we propose 4 comprehensive steps that will help improve the level of the fight against corruption and contribute to the effective recovery of Ukraine in 2023. 

1. Complete competitions and elect professional, independent, and honest heads of anti-corruption ecosystem bodies: the Asset Recovery and Management Agency, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau, and the National Agency for Corruption Prevention.
2. Conduct the reform of constitutional justice, considering the opinions provided by the Venice Commission. To conduct a transparent competition for the selection of judges of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine. To reelect bodies of judicial self-government to ensure normal functioning of judicial institutions and launch a full-fledged judicial reform.
3. Open data where it is possible and does not harm the interests of security and defense. To resume submission of electronic declarations and their verification by the NACP. To resume submission of reports by political parties. To restore the functionality of agencies that has been limited due to war, except for obvious and justified exceptions.
4. Use the Prozorro electronic system for procurement to rebuild Ukraine after the russian invasion. To ensure effective control and monitoring of procurement.

The implementation of these steps can not only improve the results of Ukraine in the CPI, but also strengthen the trust of international partners in our country. In particular, it will contribute to the effective reconstruction after the war and successful European integration of Ukraine.

Global trends of CPI

As well as Ukraine, Algeria, Angola, Zambia, Mongolia, El Salvador, and the Philippines have 33 points. Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Gambia, Indonesia, Malawi, Nepal, Sierra Leone are one point ahead of us. Dominican Republic, Kenya, and Niger have one point less than Ukraine.

Among the neighbors, Ukraine still ranks higher only than russia — the terrorist country lost 2022 point in 1 and with 28 points now ranks 137th. In addition, the points of Hungary fell again — 42 points (-1, 77th), and those of the russian satellite belarus as well — it has lost 2 points this year.

Among the friends of Ukraine, there are changes in indicators as well. Poland lost 1 point, but remained the leader of CPI among our neighbors — with 55 points, it ranks 45th. Slovakia managed to improve its indicators — 53 points (+1, 49th), Romania — 46 points (+1, 63rd), and Moldova, whose indicators increased the most — +3, and now it ranks 91st with 39 points.

The Corruption Perceptions Index 2022 shows that most countries have not made significant progress in the fight against corruption over 10 years. The scale of the problem is enormous: the global average remains unchanged at 43 points out of 100 for the eleventh year in a row, and more than two-thirds of countries (122) have serious problems with corruption, scoring less than 50 points. 

Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) is a ranking calculated by the global organization Transparency International since 1995. The organization itself does not conduct its own surveys. The Index is calculated based on 13 studies of reputable international institutions and think tanks. To determine Ukraine's score, 9 sources were used.

The key indicator of the Index is the score, not the rank. The minimum score (0 points) means that corruption effectively replaces the government, while the maximum (100 points) indicates that corruption is almost absent in the life of society. The Index assesses corruption only in the public sector.