core sector communique

Romania National Integrity System – Fail in the test of resistance to corruption

Bucharest, 26 January 2012

Public administration, political parties and the business climate are the main contributors to widespread corruption in Romania, appearing as the most vulnerable pillars in the national integrity system analysis. Excessive politicization of public positions and discretionary allocation of public resources by interest groups are the main reasons that led to these conclusions. In the context of elections this year, the poor performance of these pillars threatens not only public funds and the economy, but also the quality of democracy.

This year, more than ever, Romanians have become aware of the effects of corruption on their quality of life and decided to take action. Corruption restricts freedom, impoverishes, misinforms, denies access to justice and public services, affects the health, and degrades the education and future of young people. Elimination of corruption in all sectors of society is therefore imperative and urgent.

Study on National Integrity System, third edition, released today byTransparency International Romania (TI-Ro) shows that the Romanian institutions do not have the necessary resources and are not independent enough to resist political or group interference, generating private benefits and, by default, corruption at the detriment of society. Also, selective and very limited transparency makes liability mechanisms inefficient. Whether we refer to political leaders - national or local level - or representatives of public institutions, people have lost confidence that they could be held liable, or, promoted on the basis of objective criteria, managed either by the control institutions media and civil society.

TI-Ro study shows that exposure of some cases in courts is not an appropriate treatment for corruption because it recurs, but a systematic reform that would create "antibodies" institutional corruption and not just treat symptoms, but causes is needed. This way only, will the country's government resonate with the wishes of citizens, respecting democracy and transparency, ensuring integrity and justice, ensuring responsibility and accountability, based on solidarity and courage.

For an effective approach to strengthen the National Integrity System, Transparency International Romania recommended that horizontal priorities relate to the adoption of all rules of the game in a transparent manner, respecting the normal legislative process, after debate and participatory process and only after impact analysis and necessary parliamentary review. It is also imperative to adopt and implement an integrated anti-corruption strategy that addresses the vulnerabilities of all the pillars.