Trace International: Georgia ranks first in the world in terms of freedom from corruption in business relations
By Natalia Kochaishvili
Friday, December 4
The Trace International Index of Freedom from Corruption Risk, Georgia ranks 28th in the world and 19th in Europe, according to the Georgian Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development. In the 2020 Trace Matrix 'Corruption Risk Matrix' rating, Georgia's rating improved by one point compared to the previous year and ranked 28th out of 194 countries with 25 points, and 6th among 50 countries in the Asian region.
Georgia is ahead of 14 EU countries, including Italy, Spain and Latvia. The countries are rated according to the level of corruption, namely the possibility of corruption, anti-corruption legislation, government transparency and the level of civil society development. The rating evaluates the country according to 4 components, which in turn include 9 sub-components.
Georgia received the highest rating in a key subcomponent such as Freedom from Corruption in Government Relations - in this aggregate, Georgia ranks first in the world.
"We are the best in the world in terms of interaction between business and government. This practically means that businesses do not need to have physical contact with government agencies and public officials employed there to use our programs, our assistance, certain government services and to obtain permits,” the Minister of Economy Natia Turnava said.
The minister underscored that there are unified front offices throughout the country, which are maximally digitized and electronic.
According to the methodology, each country is assigned an overall corruption risk score and each area is rated from 1 to 100 points, with 1 point indicating a low level / absence of corruption and a 100 point indicating a high risk of corruption.
In the business relations component with the government, Georgia has 17 points, which is based on the low level of corruption in the relationship with the government (1 point), low expectations of corruption (35 points) and low regulatory burden (28 points).
"Georgia is ahead of countries such as Canada, Japan, Luxembourg, Ireland, USA, Austria, Belgium, France, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, neighboring countries, etc. in this indicator," the Ministry of Economy said.
According to them, Georgia has 39 points in the anti-corruption legislation and enforcement component, which is based on the very high quality of anti-corruption legislation (36 points) and the moderate quality of law enforcement (42 points). Georgia is ahead of France, Malta, Romania, Latvia, Armenia, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Hungary, Turkey, Moldova, Russia, etc. in the indicator.
According to them, Georgia has 26 points in the "Government and Civil Service Transparency" component, which is based on a transparent government (27 points) and a healthy, transparent civil service (24 points). Georgia is ahead of Italy, Israel, Malta, Czech Republic, Greece, Poland, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Croatia, Romania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey, etc. in this indicator.
As for the Civil Society Skills Supervision component, Georgia has been awarded with 28 points based on a high level of press freedom (24 points) and a high degree of civil society development (34 points).
The four components of the rating have been assigned the appropriate weights, namely, the weight of the corruption opportunity component is the highest at 40%, containment equals 15%, transparency 22.5% and oversight 22.5%.
The Acting Minister of Justice of Georgia, Gocha Lortkipanidze underscored that rating indicates that the continuation of the Georgian government is positively assessed in the field of anti-corruption efforts.
“It is precisely this policy, coordination and inter-agency effort that is an important tool and mechanism for the Anti-Corruption Council, chaired by the Ministry of Justice. It is important to note that this rating indicates the country’s progress in a period full of challenges and the consolidation of institutional democracy in the country,” Lortkipanidze said.
