Corruption as a threat to security: intelligence agencies in Europe

Monday, Feb 2, 2026

Il Sole 24 Ore

Perception drives real impact on stability and investment; Spain shows a paradox where visible corruption outweighs case numbers.

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[This is an automatically generated summary, for reference only]

Perception is a significant factor that concretely affects political stability, international reputation, public debt costs, and investment decisions; corruption can thus be a strategic vulnerability even without an increase in reported cases. Spain exemplifies this with its “Spanish paradox,” where corruption is not widespread but when it appears, it is highly visible and systemic, leading to a perception of impunity. Despite this visibility, Spain keeps intelligence services separate from anti-corruption efforts, leaving investigations to the judiciary and police. European models are divided: countries like Austria, Spain, and the Czech Republic maintain a clear separation between intelligence and anti-corruption efforts, while others, such as Greece, Bulgaria, and Romania, show greater permeability between national security and corruption fighting with varied outcomes.

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