Estonia improves by a click in corruption index
Estonia is 26th in the world in a corruption perceptions index published by Transparency International's Estonian branch, two places and one point better than a year ago.
Perception of corruption is lowest in Denmark, while Estonia's score of 69 is on the same level as France and Qatar, according to the report. Estonia's score was 68 last year, earning it 28th place.
The head of Corruption-Free Estonia, Jaanus Tehver, says Estonia's result was technically an improvement but actually "standing in place." Efforts on corruption prevention must be redoubled, he said.
He also said there was a lack of personal leadership among senior officials. Parliament has not yet been able to pass the code of ethics that organizations like Corruption-Free Estonia have been urging for years, Tehver said. The organization also backs stricter rules on lobbying to wipe out influence-peddling.
The full report can be found here.