I think you're really underestimating Western European corruption. This might have been true in the early days after the end of the cold war and might still be

I think you're really underestimating Western European corruption. This might have been true in the early days after the end of the cold war and might still be true in non-EU Eastern Europe since Soviet bureaucracy was even more unaccountable than the West's, but within the EU we're quickly converging.