Decision makers, do not forget! The fight against corruption must remain a priority for Romania, regardless of who is the holder of the responsible portfolio

Transparency International requires the Government and other authorities in Bucharest to keep as a first priority on the institutions agenda the fight against corruption and to demonstrate political will in making the necessary efforts to ensure its effectiveness and impact.

Recent results of monitoring process of anti-corruption measures and efforts show that the current document on the Anti-Corruption National Strategy for the period 2012 -2015, which was adopted by the Government decision no. 215/2012, in which TI-RO participated with recommendations and points of view, is likely to become only a formal statement of intent because up to this point no concrete measures have been taken for its implementation.

Preliminary conclusions of the National Corruption Report, released by TI-Ro on July 24, 2012 highlight the fact that in the last year in Romania, there has been a deterioration in the climate of public integrity, marked by the lack of strategic coordination in legislative and institutional measures, fact that caused the block of institutional actions in the fight against corruption without generating relevant impact.

This climate of legislative inconsistency substantially discourages investments, alters the business and projects funded by European Funds affecting the economy, society and international position of Romania in the EU context. Thus, Romania came to be contributor the European Union net budget as a result of the lack of capacity to absorption of the funds, Also the repeated fraud led eventually to the blocking of access by the Commission.

On this background, and in the context of the appointment of new officers in important portfolios for the fight against corruption, such as the Ministry of Administration and Interior and the Ministry of Justice – which is the coordinator of the implementation process for the new Anti-corruption Strategy - Transparency International Romania requests the Government and Ministers appointed to look with maximum importance at problems generated by corruption and take urgently effective measures in order to limit this phenomenon and its effects. Otherwise, the dramatic reduction in foreign investments is likely to put Romania in an acute crisis situation, amplified by a deep lack of integrity in institutions and procedural mechanisms in operation.