SceMaps has implemented the MACPI (Monitoring Anti-Corruption Policy Implementation) tool in nine institutions in Bulgaria, Spain, Italy and Romania, which allows institutions to assess the functioning and effectiveness of the anti-corruption measures in place and thus detect their strengths and weaknesses as a way to prevent potential risks. The aim is for institutions to assess and reinforce those areas of greatest vulnerability in a preventive manner.
A total of 2,467 public employees from these four European countries participated in this initiative and were invited to rate, based on their experience, the anti-corruption areas and policies of the bodies they work for. The size of the samples took into account the size of their staff in order to define appropriate participation thresholds to ensure the quality of the statistics. Thus, 1,095 people from the Emilia-Romagna Region (Italy) participated compared to 31 from the Valencian Anti-Fraud Agency of the Valencian Community (Spain). However, in the latter case, this figure represents almost the totality of its staff and its study was complemented by the participation of 15 external experts. The other seven collaborating bodies were: the National Revenue Agency (565 employees) and the National Construction Control Directorate (151) in Bulgaria; the Autonomous Community of the Region of Murcia (498) in Spain; the Chamber of Commerce of Trento (54) in Italy; and, in Romania, the National Integrity Agency (46), the Competition Council (15) and the Municipality of Sinaia (12).
The MACPI results show a good anti-corruption structure in most of the organisations assessed. This is not surprising, as organisations that agree to cooperate in independent external assessments tend to have robust systems of anti-corruption measures with good coverage of potential risks.