Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1537507
7 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 16 JULY 2025 NEWS One in four knows someone who took or gave bribes, survey finds A survey commissioned by the European Commission finds that Maltese think corruption is most widespread among political parties and the Planning Authority 23% of Maltese say they personally know someone who has given or taken a bribe from someone else, second to only the Greeks at 30%, according to a survey commissioned by the European Com- mission. This figure has declined slightly since 2024, down 3 percentage points, but re- mains considerably higher than that in other EU member states. In ten member states less than a tenth know someone who has taken or given a bribe with the lowest figure (3%) regis- tered in Poland and Ireland. The survey also reveals that 83% of Maltese citizens believe corruption is widespread in the country down from 95% in the previous year. When asked how widespread is corruption in 15 dif- ferent sectors, 60% of Maltese said brib- ery and abuse of power for personal gain were common in political parties, while 58% said the same about the issuing of building permits. Concern about building permits is the second highest in the EU, after Greece (64%), and well above the EU average of 36%. However, the figure has dropped by 9 percentage points since 2024, suggest- ing a modest improvement. Perceptions of corruption in the award- ing of public tenders remain high, with 50% of Maltese respondents identifying it as a concern—8 points lower than in 2024, but still significantly higher than the EU average of 38%. Other institutions where corruption is perceived to be widespread include the police (41% in Malta vs 22% EU average), health and safety officers (41% in Malta vs 28%) the system of welfare benefits (38% vs 13%) and the law courts (35% vs 17%). On the other end of the spectrum, the lowest perceived levels of corruption in Malta are in the education sector (24%), banks (26%), and the health system (30%). Despite a strong perception that cor- ruption is widespread, 74% of Maltese say they find corruption unacceptable, while 24% find it tolerable and only 2% consider it acceptable. Only the French, Spanish, and Portuguese reported lower levels of tolerance for corruption. Fur- thermore, 52% of Maltese say that cor- ruption affects them negatively in their daily lives. Majority think corruption has increased 62% of Maltese believe that corruption has increased over the past three years. Malta was one of 11 EU countries where at least half of respondents believe cor- ruption levels have risen, with the high- est concern recorded in Cyprus (73%) and Croatia (72%). But this finding is somewhat contra- dicted by a decline in the perception that corruption is widespread. The survey shows that 83% of Maltese believe that corruption is widespread in their coun- try, down from 95% in 2024. Ties between politicians and big business 83% of Maltese believe that overly close ties between business and politics con- tribute to corruption—slightly above the EU average of 77%. In addition, 80% of Maltese believe that corruption is em- bedded in the country's business culture. Only Greece (87%), Cyprus (85%), Por- tugal (83%), and Croatia (83%) ranked higher, with Malta tied in fifth place alongside Italy and Hungary. Concerns about political transparency remain strong. Just 21% of Maltese be- lieve there is sufficient transparency and oversight in the funding of political par- ties. Only Latvia (20%), Bulgaria, and Cy- prus (both 19%) reported lower figures. Maltese less likely to trust police to deal with corruption When asked who they would most trust to handle a corruption complaint, only 41% of Maltese mentioned the po- lice—compared to 61% EU-wide—mak- ing this the second lowest level of trust in the police force after Bulgaria (38%). Furthermore, 30% of Maltese said they would place their trust in the national anti-corruption agency. The only body in Malta that comes close to that role is the Permanent Commission Against Corruption, but it can't prosecute. A further 25% said they would turn to the national ombudsman (compared to 12% across the EU), 21% to journalists (compared to 13%), and 16% to NGOs (compared to just 6%), 11% to the EU itself (compared to just 3%) and 8% to individual MPs (compared to just 4%). The Eurobarometer survey published this week was conducted in the first two months of 2025 across all EU member states, with a total of 26,354 respond- ents. In Malta, 503 individuals were in- terviewed. The results for Malta carry a margin of error of ±4.4 percentage points. EU 27 Malta Political Parties 51 60 Politicians 46 56 Award of public tenders 38 50 Building permits 36 58 Private companies 31 35 Health and safety inspectors 28 41 Buiness permits 27 47 Health care 25 30 Police and customs 22 41 Banks 20 26 Tax authorities 17 33 Law courts/tribunals 17 35 Public Prosecutor's Office 15 31 Social welfare 13 38 Education 12 24 Percentage (%) of respondents who believe abuse of power for personal gain and bribery are widespread in the following sectors JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt