Corruption in the Netherlands


Corruption is rare in the Netherlands in all major areas—judiciary, police, business, politics—as the country is considered as one of the least corrupt within the European Union. In the 2017 edition of Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index, the Netherlands ranked the 8th least corrupt country worldwide.

Extent

The National Integrity System Assessment 2012, published by Transparency International Netherlands, reports that the country has established strong pillars—an independent judiciary, effective anti-corruption mechanisms and a culture of trust—that all combine to create a society where corruption is not considered a serious problem. The government has dedicated large efforts towards keeping corruption within the country at low levels, yet limitations are perceived in some areas. The public sector is not perceived to be corrupt and transparency within the sector is safeguarded by codes of conducts for civil servants, with a special focus on integrity within their sectors, according to the National Integrity System Assessment 2012.

Business

Executives surveyed in the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report 2013–2014 do not perceive corruption a problem to doing business. The Netherlands is a global leader in the area of Corporate Social Responsibility, and that most companies operating in the Netherlands have established a code of conduct as well as internal mechanisms to detect and prevent bribery.
According to Eurobarometer 2012, connections between business and politics are the most cited reason behind corruption and almost one-third of surveyed citizens share this perception. This is supported by the National Integrity System Assessment 2012, which notes that collusion between businesses and public authorities is especially prevalent in the public procurement sector. This sector is sensitive to irregularities and the report recommends the government to strengthen regulations and supervision of public procurements.
Transparency International's 2016 Corruption Perception Index ranks the country 8th place out of 176 countries.