Corruption is a political, economic, cultural and moral problem and it is considered as a universal phenomenon that exists in all developed and developing countries, in public and private sectors, as well as in non-profit and charity organizations. The aim of this study is to investigate the phenomenon of corruption in relation to the economic development and growth in European countries in general and specifically in the European Economic Area, the European Union, the Euro-zone and the non-European Union countries in Central and Eastern Europe, including Turkey. Our objective is specifically the examination of the relationship between corruption and per capita GDP, and between changes in corruption and per capita GDP growth rate. The survey shows that there is a strong inverse relationship between the level of corruption and the per capita GDP of almost all European countries, with the exception the non-European Union countries in the Central and Eastern Europe, including Turkey. Additionally, there is a positive linear relationship between the per capita GDP growth rate and the reduction in corruption levels for all categories of European countries.

Eight indicators corresponding to the targets of "Europe 2020" Strategy were used to estimate the deviation of EU Member-States from their targets. The study showed that: i) the distance to the employment target of 75 % of people aged 20-64 years has narrowed, ii) the expenditure for R&D as a percentage of GDP are still below the target of 3%, iii) the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in ESD sectors by 20 % compared to 1990 levels are still below the target, iv) the increase of the share of renewable energy in final consumption to 20 % remains just below the target, v) the move towards a 20% increase in energy efficiency shows a good prospect, vi) the reduction of school drop-out rates to less than 10 % is steadily approaching its target, vii) the share of population aged 30-34 having completed tertiary education to at least 40 % is steadily approaching its target, viii) the lifting at least 20 million people out of risk of poverty was not achieved.

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