ZAGREB, January 24, 2020 - Justice Minister Dražen Bošnjaković on Thursday expressed regret over Croatia's fall in the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index, but added that this was "solely an impression".
Global corruption watchdog Transparency International on Thursday released the Corruption Perceptions Index for 2019, ranking Croatia 63rd among 180 countries and territories, three spots down from the previous year. This is the fourth year in a row that Croatia has been stagnating or slipping in the ranking.
"I have to express my regret that we fell again in the ranking, although this is solely an impression," Bošnjaković told a press conference after an informal meeting of EU justice ministers in Zagreb.
He said that during the process of its accession to the European Union Croatia had incorporated "many mechanisms that guarantee judicial independence." He recalled constitutional changes and methods of appointing judges and state attorneys, adding that "politics has been completely eliminated from these processes."
Bošnjaković expressed regret that these measures had not yet been recognised by the public. "We must insist on conscientious and responsible work and on better results than we have now. These results are improving from year to year," he concluded.
More news about corruption issues in Croatia can be found in the Politics section.
