Summary

The results of a study on forms of corruption among high-level officials in the European Union (EU) and its consequences for regional development have been published. In the field of public procurement, embezzlement, misappropriation, and fraud are the most common offenses (80% of violations), while bribery dominates in the customs sector (87% of violations). Document falsification and illegal asset transfers prevail in schemes to circumvent sanctions. Corruption undermines public trust in government institutions, reduces investment attractiveness, and causes significant economic losses. For example, in Croatia, high-risk public procurement led to overpayments totaling €54 million between 2018 and 2022. Recommendations to improve the effectiveness of anti-corruption efforts include enhancing the quality and accessibility of procurement data, standardizing it through unified identifiers, digitizing customs procedures, improving conflict of interest regulations, and strengthening the role of civil society in detecting violations.