While doing business in Ukraine, one runs the risk of someone demanding a bribe. But that situation is improving, according to new research.
Ukraine ranked 93rd out of 194 countries in a new index that tracks the likelihood of demands for bribes. TRACE, the global good governance watchdog, reported that Ukraine has placed in the middle of the pack — and not just globally, but also among its neighbors. Still, the country has made rapid progress.
“While Ukraine falls in the middle of neighbors it shares a border with, it shows the most improvement — very dramatic improvement — since 2019 among those countries, with Russia and Belarus degrading the most,” TRACE wrote in an email.
The index measures four broad categories. Risks that come from interacting with the government, the country’s ability to deter and prosecute bribery, the level of government transparency and the prominence of civil society.
According to TRACE, Ukraine improved across the board from 2019 to 2020 in almost all subdomains, with most improvement in the government interaction and transparency categories.
“This reflects improvements in bureaucratic processes such as the number of procedures to obtain a construction permit and days to get electricity; import documentary compliance time; corruption in the executive and legislative functions; transparency in the rule of law and enforcement environment; and the strength of auditing and accounting standards,” the organization wrote.
Ukraine has also streamlined the availability of electronic government services and reduced the number of face-to-face interactions required for getting permits, thus reducing opportunities for officials to solicit bribes.
However, TRACE cautioned that this year’s data “may reflect a sort of ‘honeymoon phase’ of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s administration, which has championed an anti-corruption platform and is enjoying public support and legislative victories.”
“It remains to be seen, however, if Zelensky can break away from the oligarchic tendencies of Ukraine’s governance,” the watchdog added.
With multiple high-level scandals such as Zelensky’s chief of staff allegedly selling government positions, plus the ongoing constitutional crisis, the honeymoon may well be over by now.
