Slovenia has fallen in the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), which measures perceived levels of corruption in the public sector. It scored 56 out of 100 points last year, the lowest so far although it has kept 41st spot among 180 countries, level with Italy, Georgia and Czechia.

Slovenia has lost five points over the past ten years in the CPI report, which is compiled by Transparency International (TI). Its score, at 56, compares to EU average of 64 points.

"The findings are exceptionally worrying and Transparency International Slovenia believes the trend will continue unless all decision-makers maintain zero tolerance of corruption," Neža Grasselli, the head of the Slovenian TI branch, said.

"Each individual can contribute to more integrity in society, including by demanding that zero tolerance applies to decision-makers too," she added.

TI Slovenia welcomed plans to reform the 19-year-old resolution for corruption prevention in Slovenia, noting that politics must tackle such changes systematically. The government has said it will prioritise the fight against corruption but this needs to be backed by actions, Grasselli said.

The Commission for the Prevention of Corruption (KPK) said Slovenia's record low score showed it was time to move from words to action. The legislation needs to be reviewed and sanctions introduced for violations, the watchdog said.

KPK head Robert Šumi called for cooperation of all anti-graft institutions to "reverse the trend". The government and public sector employees should follow KPK guidelines and lead by example, he said.

KPK also plans to conduct a survey on bribery of public sector employees.

"The government and Slovenian politics in general should think about their actions and do everything so we can rank higher in these indexes," Economy Minister Matjaž Han said in response. He believes the country should conduct analysis, find the source of the problem and "fix things".

Slovenia recorded a notable drop in the index in 2021 after more or less stagnating for years.

Among Slovenia's neighbouring countries, Hungary ranks the lowest, at 77th, Croatia is 57th, Italy is tied with Slovenia, while Austria is far ahead in 22nd.

The index measures the perception of corruption in the public sector, with 0 points indicating a high level of corruption perceptions and 100 points a very low level of perceived corruption.

It collates data and analyses from international institutions that measure perception of corruption through the eyes of business representatives, analysts and experts.

The average score for the OECD countries is 67 points and the global average is 43 points. Nearly a third of countries in Western Europe and the EU scored historically low last year.