Netherlands falls on anti-corruption index for second straight year

The Netherlands saw its score fall for the second year in a row on Transparency International’s 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index, which was published on Tuesday. The score dropped to a record low of 79 on a trend affected by several threats to the country's strong tradition of democracy, and a stable legal system.

The Netherlands still remained in the global top ten, but fell from seventh place last year to eighth place this year. Western Europe and the European Union remained the top-scoring region, though its average fell for the first time in nearly ten years, falling by one point to 65.

“The Netherlands’ declining score is a cause for concern,” said Lousewies van der Laan, executive director of Transparency International Netherlands. “Corruption can undermine public trust in government, lead to unfair distribution of resources, and stifle economic growth.”

The organization pointed out several specific issues the Netherlands is facing. “The increasing influence of organized crime, weakening of checks and balances, and lack of transparency in lobbying are all contributing to this decline,” said van der Laan.

The Netherlands should follow examples set by other European countries, and put more rules in place to reduce influence from lobbyists. In the Netherlands, it is the most normal thing in the world for politicians to become lobbyists, or vice versa, and often with activities in the same field. This culture makes the Netherlands extremely sensitive to forms of cronyism within an administrative in-crowd,” said Van der Laan.

The country’s score of 79 indicates that corruption is perceived to be widespread in the public sector. “The Netherlands needs to take steps to address these factors if it wants to improve its corruption score,” said van der Laan. “This includes strengthening the rule of law, improving transparency in lobbying, and investing in anti-corruption measures.” She noted that cronyism and swaps between political life and the private sector erodes trust in politics.

Transparency International also said that ongoing threats from organized criminal groups against prosecutors, journalists and judges is also a critical issue. “The fear is that institutions that enforce the rules will eventually weaken.” This has led to fewer people wanting to get a job in politics or public administration, Transparency International stated.

The Netherlands’ score is significantly lower than that of other Western European countries, such as Denmark (90), Finland (87), and Norway (84). At the same time, the Western Europe and European Union showed a regional average score that was one point below last year's figure of 66. "The weakening of checks and balances are undermining robust anti-corruption measures in the region," Transparency International reported.

"Several high-ranking democracies, including Sweden (82), Netherlands (79), Iceland (72) and the United Kingdom (71), have recorded their lowest-ever scores. In countries such as Poland (54) and Hungary (42), weaknesses within judicial systems act as impediments to accessing justice and prevent the judiciary from effectively limiting the powers of the executive."