Anti-Corruption in Romania

The report is organized as follows: the first chapter presents the status quo and diagnoses the reasons for continued corruption in Romania. It examines the perception of corruption by citizens and business along with the consequences. The chapter also proposes a ‘theory of change’ that can support Romania’s anti-corruption agenda in an integrated manner. The second chapter presents a brief analysis of the institutional and legislative framework for anti-corruption initiatives in Romania, highlighting the main achievements from the past years and remaining challenges ahead. The third chapter building on the framework proposed in the previous sections, this chapter proposes policy options to reduce the incentives for corruption, increase the chances of getting caught and enforce sanctions on the corrupt, while implementing measures to change social norms. The first section on reducing corruption proposes the introduction of a meritocratic civil service to make a shift from nepotism and politicization to performance and professionalization of the civil service. At the same time, increasing the transparency of government reduces the incentive for corruption because the decision-making and budget allocation is under scrutiny from citizens and civil society. A transparent government is also an enabling condition for accountable public institutions. Introducing a functioning feedback mechanism and inviting public participation will increase the chances that corrupt public servants, politicians and business people will be caught. At the same time, improving public procurement in accordance with the principles of competition, transparency and integrity, reduces the risks of corruption. The authors intend to use the framework contained in this report for broader engagement and to develop more in-depth sectorial analysis with relevant sector representatives. This could also include some of the priority areas, as proposed in the NAS, such as public procurement, healthcare, education, or management of EU Funds. In each of these areas, the report outlines the next steps that the current administration could take to make progress on anti-corruption in the coming years. The authors intend to partner with interested government institutions and international partners interested in making progress on this agenda to implement the report’s findings.