Bosnia and Herzegovina Ranks Second Most Corrupt Country in Europe

(Patria) - Bosnia and Herzegovina has "taken" the spot of the second most corrupt country in Europe, according to Transparency International in BiH.

Namely, according to the findings of the Corruption Perception Index, which analyzes the perception of corruption in the public sector and ranks 184 countries based on 13 independent studies and surveys of experts and business entities, Bosnia and Herzegovina began 2025 with its worst result in the last decade.

Bosnia and Herzegovina has recorded a significant drop in its score and is ranked 114th out of 180 countries worldwide, taking the position of the second most corrupt country in Europe.

BiH is achieving this result by functioning as a state where there is a semblance of democracy and where the integrity of the electoral process is compromised.

Ruling parties are increasingly openly using practices of non-transparent campaign financing and manipulating the rules of the electoral process by buying votes, intimidation, and abuse of public resources. We witnessed this in the 2024 campaign, but also in the early elections in Republika Srpska in 2025.

Furthermore, a significant criticism relates to the judiciary in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is exposed to political pressure, making it largely incapable of prosecuting and sanctioning public officials who abuse their positions.

"This year, our decision-makers failed to pass two key laws in the area of the judiciary that were expected, and the proposals currently in circulation do not meet the recommendations of the Venice Commission, primarily regarding measures to prevent conflicts of interest, transparency, independence, and the fight against corruption. Even the existing provisions on asset declarations and interests in the judiciary are not consistently applied," say TI BiH.

The judiciary itself has largely opposed these procedures and sought their review before the constitutional court, as well as the protection of personal data. Concrete measures are expected from the judiciary to combat corruption and organized crime, but there have been many such unresolved affairs in our society in 2025, and what characterizes them is that they are all multi-million dollar cases. The judiciary remains "loudly silent" on them.

A higher degree of corruption is noticeable in countries with weaker environmental protection measures, where regulations, if they exist at all, cannot be adequately enforced. The reason for this is corruption that undermines the institutions responsible for regulating and overseeing the environment.