Spain has experienced major corruption scandals in the past decade, but its mediocrely rated judiciary did manage to sentence record numbers of local, regional and national powerful figures for corruption. The lack of full autonomy of the judiciary from partisan interest is the main IPI component dragging down Spain: otherwise the country has decent autonomy of bureaucracy from political authorities and an administration which works well for the citizen. However, its public accountability framework show it lagging behind EU average on sanctions for conflict of interest or lack of transparency, where issued had arisen; furthermore, its procurement regulation also needs an upgrade to best practices in the EU. The strong demand for good governance is often instrumentalized by populist politics, but the number of e-citizens and the activism of non-partisan civil society are strong assets.
Country: Spain
The Anticorruption Report Vol. 4: Beyond the Panama Papers
The final title in the series The Anticorruption Report covers the most important findings of the five-year-long EU-sponsored ANTICORRP project on corruption and organized crime. How prone to corruption are EU funds? Who wins and who loses the anticorruption fight? And can we have better measurements than people’s perceptions to indicate if corruption changes? This issue introduces a new index of public integrity and a variety of other tools created in the project.
The Anticorruption Report Vol. 4: Beyond the Panama Papers looks at the performance of EU Good Governance Promotion in different countries in the European neighbourhood. Case studies focussing on Spain, Slovakia and Romania are considering the impact of EU structural funds and good governance promotion within the Union. Further chapters looking at Turkey, Egypt, Tunisia and Tanzania are analysing EU democracy and good governance support in third countries. The report, edited by Alina Mungiu-Pippidi and Jana Warkotsch offers a comprehensive and overarching look at the successes and pitfalls of the EU’s efforts to democracy promotion and introduces new ways to assess the state of good governance in different countries around the world.
ISIS Seen Profiting From Informal Money System In Spain
XNet
Xnet is formed by a group of activists that, since 2008 work in fields related to:
- online democracy (participation mechanisms and citizen control of power and institutions);
- advocacy of a neutral and free Internet;
- free circulation of culture, knowledge and information and the defense of citizen journalism for the right to know, to inform and be informed;
- the development of technical, communication and legal strategies for the fight against corruption and;
- techno-politics understood as the practice of networking and taking action for empowerment, justice and social transformation.
- Anti-corruption legal and communication strategies
XNet does not perceive political parties and public prosecutors as allies, but as a part of the problem. For anyone paying attention, it is obvious that the only victories in the fight against systemic corruption come from citizens, or thanks to citizens. Corruption is a moral, legal and political problem, but it is also a technical problem and as such, it can be pragmatically tackled in an efficient and technical manner.
Tired of witnessing how those responsible of the biggest frauds and scams go unpunished, XNet has taken part in the legal fights, some of which have led to the arrests of the main responsible for the misappropriation of funds in very representative cases in Spain.
Xnet have also encouraged, promoted and stimulated a series of citizen-run initiatives and collectives against corruption, among them the remarkable 15mparato, a citizen group responsible for the lawsuit against Bankia upper echelon, because of the scam this firm has proven to be. Starting from the participation of Xnet members in the collective for the Audition of the Debt, another group was created with the aim of auditing the most widely known banker in Spain.
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Fundación Ciudadana Civio
Fundación Ciudadana Civio (Civio) is a Spanish non-profit organization established in February of 2012.
Its strategy is to increase transparency and accountability through the use of information technologies and data journalism.
Their commitment is to promote transparency and the recognition and democratization of the right to access to information.
Civio’s ultimate goal is to increase citizens’ participation and awareness and to achieve significant cultural and legislative changes fostering a stronger democracy.
Civio’s combine web applications and data journalism to develop innovative digital tools that facilitate access and interpretation of public information.
Through the use of data mining, scraping, analysis and visualization, as well as the generation of quality content, Civio addresses fields such as public budgets, governmental pardons, access to information and conflicts of interest.
Facebook: Fundación Ciudadana Civio • Twitter: @Civio
Fundación Ciudadana Civio
A a non profit organization that fights for a stronger democracy. It works towards the creation of authentic transparency and free access to public data for every citizen and organization. It believes in a society made up of active citizens who have a strong sense of democratic responsibility.