Transparency International has just published the Corruption Perception Index 2020. In this indicator, Spain ranks 32nd out of 180 countries analysed. Spain has fallen two positions since 2019. Frankly, we have no reason to be proud. At the top in corruption cleanliness, unsurprisingly, the usual Scandinavian countries and New Zealand.
Among the interesting comments in the study is the observation that Covid-19 has favoured corruption due to the concentration of authority and the reduction of controls due to political restrictions. The reference to the breakdown of normal procedures for the purchase of medical equipment, tests, masks, etc., which has led to numerous cases of corruption, is probably familiar to Spaniards.
It is curious that we sometimes leave aside some big corruption cases, which sometimes pass unnoticed by the media (the millionaire corruption of the ERES), while small corrupt acts, such as being at the top of the vaccination lists, provoke big media scandals. That was as far as we could go, someone sneaking into a queue!
Spain is a a country that leads the world in many fields and we boast about it. We are one of the countries with the highest life expectancy, i.e. health, number one in organ transplants, second language in internet, with Business Schools among the most important in the world, infrastructure companies, renewable energies, textile companies number one in the world, third country with Cultural Heritage of Humanity recognised by UNESCO, major power in tourism, the world's largest producers of olive oil, wine... Yes, it is something to boast about, and our readers will expand the list. Sometimes the effort comes from generations, sometimes from brilliant individuals and well-managed teams.
But unfortunately our good image destroyed by the bad image and corruption of a few predators In recent times we have had bad examples of corruption and lack of transparency, which for obvious reasons tend to circulate together. False doctorates at all levels of the Administration, which make us feel ashamed, sliding doors, scandalous state contracts with notorious brazenness, repeated refusals to declare to Transparency what are supposed to be innocent state activities, if it were not for their concealment, ostensible preference for politics over health, as the dates 8 March and 14 June have meant, or the capacity for "enjoyment" admitted by politicians in this lethal pandemic (in a few weeks' time we will start talking about 100,000 dead.) We leave it to our readers to expand on this list of malpractice as well.
The report "Spain's reputation in the worldThe Elcano Royal Institute's "Reputation" analyses the perception that 30,000 international pollsters have of Spain and 54 other countries. The word reputation has historical resonances, as much of Spain's foreign action in the seventeenth century was based on the defence of this concept.
In 2020, Spain has occupied the 13th place in this ranking of countries with best reputation (out of the aforementioned list of 55 countries). This is very similar to our position as an economic power in the world. Recall that we were recently struggling to join the G8 and it is demoralising to see such a rapid decline. We are strong in the so-called soft (lifestyle, national environment, recreational opportunities, inhabitants' mood...), while we rank worse on the variables hard (technology, innovation, education system, commercial brands and companies...)
We would like to be higher in this ranking, but we will be content with a score of "B". What will come as no surprise, however, is to see that in this worldwide survey Spain's reputation in the field of ethics and transparency and the political-institutional environment Spain loses four positionsThe average score of the European Union, which was 19th in the ranking, is down from the average score.
We are talking about international polls, and of course that is not where the propaganda we are used to comes in.
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Eduardo Rodríguez Rovira
Honorary President of the Spanish Confederation of Organisations for the Elderly (CEOMA).