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Romania ranks 66th among 176 states in Transparency International's Corruption Perception Index
Romania climbed nine positions in 2012 from 2011 in the Corruption Perception Index (CPI), from the 75th position to 66th among the examined 176 states, Transparency International Romania Executive Director Victor Alistar said on Wednesday.
According to him, in 2012 Romania advanced to the 66th position in the ranking, achieving a score of 44 points, the same as Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
'The signal is positive, of confidence, but following talks at the International Anti-corruption Conference held this year, it emerged that there is a strategic war on development. There are countries, such as Romania, that benefit by natural resources and cheap workforce and countries benefiting by capital, financial flows and financial contributions. An increasing transparency when it comes to the Romanian resources could represent a mechanism ensuring competitiveness. Romania's only real chance for survival and of other countries in south-eastern Europe is to focus on the fight against the domestic corruption, amid the international financial and economic crisis, this also entailing the protection of its public resources. It is essential for states to have the capacity to protect their public resources from any kind of corruption-related risks in this economic fight,' Alistar said.
Victor Alistar also said that the positive message Romania sent worldwide was a result of the steps taken to put an end to vitiated mechanisms and to create a positive signal, generating confidence in Romania's economic performance.
'It was the signal given to the international business milieu regarding the adoption of a tougher stance against certain mechanisms they considered as spoiled - the monopoly in the energy field, the reassessment of investment contracts. These are some of the initial elements that sent a signal and a message of confidence that must be reiterated, because there have been situations in the transport and energy domains when the foreign partners withdrew although they had won the contracts. Therefore, a mechanism that kept the functioning of the public business system in Romania under control, as well as its corruption level, has been a reality. If we do not keep sending this kind of message also in the years to come, we will not be able to generate credibility for Romania,' according to Alistar.
The anti-governmental and anti-presidential protests that engulfed Romania in early 2012 delivered a positive message, whereas the suspension of EU funds by the European Commission influenced negatively Romania's position in the CPI index, as its rank could not advance further.
Prime Minister Victor Ponta said Wednesday in Targu Jiu that he is satisfied with Romania's improved standing in Transparency International's corruption ranking, where it is now ranked 66th. Ponta said that this is a ranking many foreign investors trust more than what country officials claim that offers the Romanian Government encouragement to continue taking measures against systemic corruption in Romania.
He said he is also satisfied that over the past seven months the Romanian Government proved its capacity of attacking systemic corruption, which the previous governments did not fight, head on.
He also reviewed what he called the most important cases of political and institutional corruption his Cabinet attacked head on, mentioning first among them the determination to stop the contracts with the 'smart guys' of Hidroelectrica; what he termed the institutional theft at Oltchim over the past three years, with damage of billions of euros; the use of public money by cultural institutions; corruption at Romania's Post Service, which he claimed was vandalised by a management appointed by Roberta Anastase of the Democratic Liberal Party (PDL); corruption at the National Tax Administration Agency (ANAF) and corruption at the National Health Insurance House, where damage is said to be of RON 190 million.