TI: level of corruption in Czech Republic down

The anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International (TI) has released a report revealing that corruption levels in the Czech Republic have dropped to their lowest in almost a decade. The report - comparing 179 countries - ranks the Czech Republic at the same level as in 1997: 41st, together with Italy. According to TI, after a several year rise corruption in the Czech Republic began to level off in 2003. Analysts attribute the drop to several factors including pressure by the watchdog group, positive economic growth, the better-functioning of some institutions, and the Czech Republic's joining the European Union.