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• Mihaela Daniela NICULESCU, PhD, Student, Affiliation: School of Advanced Studies of the Romanian Academy, Romania;

Within the European Union, corruption is a complex phenomenon, with profound implications for governance, the economy and citizens’ trust in institutions. Although all Member States have formal mechanisms to combat corruption, the perceived level of corruption varies considerably from one country to another. The new Member States of the European Union, especially those in Central and Eastern Europe, have undergone major political, economic and institutional transformations in recent decades. While EU accession entailed clear commitments to the rule of law, transparency and the fight against corruption, the post-accession reality shows a mixed picture. In many of these countries, corruption remains a structural challenge, affecting good governance, economic development and public trust in democratic institutions. The Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) shows notable differences between new and old Member States, and these differences are strongly correlated with a number of other indicators – GDP per capita, quality of the rule of law, level of human development, political stability, degree of digitalization, independence of the judiciary, freedom of the press, degree of government transparency and other indicators. Analyzing these correlations in the context of new EU members provides important insights into how corruption is influenced by structural factors and the quality of post-accession reforms.

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