The corruption perception in Romania

More accountability and transparency are needed in public institutions in Romania, says Transparency International in its 2021 Corruption Perception Index.

Leyla Cheamil, 26.01.2022, 13:50

Romania
remains among the three worst-performers in the European Union in the 2021
Corruption Perception Index published by Transparency International. The index
reflects the way in which independent experts and the business environment
perceive corruption in the public sector in 180 states and territories, with
the ranking being based on points from 0, meaning highly corrupt to 100, very
clean. With 45 points out of 100, Romania is only behind Hungary, with 43
points, and Bulgaria, with 42. The Transparency International report says more
accountability and transparency are needed in public institutions. One of the most
vulnerable sectors in Romania is that of public procurement, with impact on the
transparency of public spending during the pandemic. The report notes that the
Covid-19 pandemic gave governments an opportunity to expand their executive
power, conceal public information and restrict citizens’ rights.

Transparency
International Romania therefore brings back to public attention the Integrity Pact,
which it views as a solution to ensure transparency, efficiency and equal
treatment in public procurement and says it has identified a number of
advantages in applying this tool, such as allowing civil society to monitor
public investment, including in terms of usefulness and fairness. Also, it allows
all those interested in making public investments to be better informed and consulted
in this respect. Last but not least, the Integrity Pact allows for the identification
of systemic problems in the public procurement legislation and procedures.

Its use
as a tool to monitor public procurement is thus seen as a viable solution to
reduce the risk of fraud and corruption in this field, says Transparency International
Romania, which goes on to make a number of recommendations. One of them is the inclusion
of the Integrity Pact as a mandatory mechanism for public monitoring of procurement
procedures, from planning to full execution, for all procurement that exceeds
the legal threshold for publication in the Official Journal of the EU. Another recommendation
is the introduction of the Integrity Pact as a measure tool in projects financed
by structural and investment funds and the transposition into national
legislation of the EU directive on whistleblowing and the high standards of compliance.

All representatives
of society, from the political class and public institutions to the private
sector and citizens, need to be constantly involved, as each has its own role and
responsibility in the fight against corruption, Transparency International
Romania reiterates in its report. (CM)