The annual corruption report by Transparency International (PDF, in French) is out, and France has little to be proud of.
The lack of integrity among civil servants, politicians and businesspeople leaves France far behind its European neighbours. On a scale of 1 to 10, France scores 6.9, ex aequo with Chili and Uruguay. Within Western Europe, only Spain (6.5) and Portugal (6.1) are perceived as more corrupt. Least corrupt are Denmark and Sweden (9.3).
The report specifically mentions the fact that influence can be bought in France, and doesn’t shy away from giving examples. One of them was Sarkozy’s holiday on the yacht of his billionaire friend Vincent Bolloré (photo), just days after being elected president.
