A message for Ms.

Nuland and Mr Biden: We need money to fight

corruption!
The following article examines the fight against corruption, focusing on the need to
inole ciil society and media, locally and regionally. This inolement should !e
supported !y international "onors and the #.$. could engage with the %# in the fight
against corruption in &omania.
In 2014, Romania is managed by the interests of "oligarchs" and local barons. According to
the methodology used by The Economist, the colleagues from Adearul determined that !0"
of the #ealth of the 100 richest Romanians, #hich re$resents 10" of %&', #as built on
business #ith the Romanian state. (ighting the big corru$tion is and #ill be for the future a
hot to$ic for Romania, and this article is focused on ho# #e can engage in anti)corru$tion
$rogrammes at the local and regional leel.
In his isit *.+. ,ice 'resident -oe .iden said/ "0ountries that doesn1t hae a strong rule of
la#, an inde$endent 2udiciary system and strong democratic institutions are ulnerable to the
3ind of actions that carries Russia in *3raine .... +tability, trans$arency and rule of la# are
essential for inestment and #e #ant our economic relations to continue, to deelo$ and
gro#."
In a statement in 4ashington &0 from 10
th
of A$ril, the Assistant +ecretary of +tate for
Euro$ean and Eurasian Affairs at the *nited +tates &e$artment of +tate, ,ictoria 5uland #as
em$hasi6ing the danger of institutionali6ed corru$tion, and the mi7ture bet#een oligarchs,
media and $olitical class/
..we are seeing a similar disturbing trend in too many parts of Central and Eastern
Europe and the Balkans now where the aspirations of citizens are being trampled
beneath corrupt, oligarchic interests who use their money and influence to stifle political
opposition and dissent, to buy politicians and media outlets, weaken udicial independence
and the rights on !"#s.
$e are also seeing a growing league of oligarchs and corrupt politicians work together,
including across national lines, to protect and help each other maintain that influence, and
keep the cash flowing that feeds their preferred system. Corruption of this kind doesn%t ust
rot democracies from the inside, it also makes them &ulnerable to corrupting influences
outside country who seek undue economic and political influence o&er state policies and
decision'making. (n other words, in many parts of Europe, fighting corruption needs to be a
higher national priority in order to protect and defend democracy )!* state so&ereignty.
In a statement in .ucharest from 80
th
of A$ril, ,ictoria 5uland1s Assistant, 9r. :oyt ;ee,
#as saying/ <+omania, Bulgaria and other countries in this part of Europe should be able to
withstand the oligarchs, corporations or wealthy indi&iduals who, in the absence of strong
institutions, may use to buy the &ital infrastructure or media, or politicians in order to
influence and to gain control of the institutions or the state. ,
$e firmly belie&e that working together, the E-, the -.) and +omania, we can strengthen
institutions and pre&ent this type of corruption, organized crime, this type of influence on the
democratic state=
&emocracy assistance offered by *.+ hel$ed us in the $ast. (rom the statement gien by 9s.
5uland and 9r. :oyt #e understand that the *.+. is directly interested in fighting corru$tion
in Eastern Euro$e and therefore, also in Romania. *nfortunately, #ith some small e7ce$tions,
these actiities at local and regional leel are non)e7istent and there are fe# donors #ho are
funding the anti)corru$tion fight at local and regional leel. If the *.+. &e$artment of +tate is
so focused in fighting corru$tion in Romania, it should o$en grants #hich #ould hel$ to
achiee these goals.
Actual situation
9s. 5uland1s declaration comes after a isit to .ucharest, #hen 'rime 9inister 'onta failed
to meet her, $erha$s sus$ecting that <corru$tion= could be one of the to$ics on the table.
9edia suggested that '9 'onta #as afraid that he #ould be held accountable after last year1s
<.lac3 Tuesday=. That #as a minus for di$lomatic relations bet#een Romania and *+A.
:o#eer, it seems that 2ustice is becoming more actie and the number of inestigations and
conictions is rising. The $roblem is that the anti)corru$tion fight is seen more on teleision
and many $eo$le say it is motiated by $olitical fights. In a T, interie#, former head of
Euro$ean 0ommission &elegation in Romania, -onathan +cheele, #as saying about teleision
2ustice/ ( think it/s a risky thing, because this kind of ustice does not allow to know all the
details. 0he stories presented are more complicated. )nd on 01 there is a tendency to focus
on certain aspects.
It is true that the anti)corru$tion officers seem to target es$ecially from the '5> or '+&
$arties, carefully aoiding some $olitical figures. In the case of '5>, the $arty com$lains that
it is a target of both its former coalition $artner the '+&, a blac3mail attem$t to 3ee$ the '5>
under '+&1s hold, and of the $resident .asescu. In #hat concerns the arrests in '+& ran3s the
Romanian 2ournalists $oint out at the 'rime 9inister1s attem$t to reform his o#n $arty and to
reduce the $o#er of the local oligarchs.
'orruption at the regional and local leel ( local !arons
The foundation of current $olitical system in Romania is built on the strength of the local
barons. Romania is controlled and goerned by local barons, influential $eo$le in the $arty
#hich hel$ed the rise of $rime ministers or $residents so far. They $ull the strings in the
$arty, they bring otes for $arties, they call the $residents of the $arty, they ma3e the rules.
At local and regional leel there is already a icious circle, a mi7ture of $olitical decisions
#ith state inestments funds or Euro$ean funds/ this is called $olitical clientelism. >ocal and
regional com$anies $um$ money in the electoral cam$aign of one or seeral $arties, and after
elections the elected $olitician must return the money to the com$anies, $lus e7tra gain #hich
is shared #ith the $olitician. This is a a corru$tion scheme established years ago that is no#
regarded as normality. The lac3 of #atchdogs and #histleblo#ers at regional leel, the
absence of an inde$endent media and 5%?s actie in the field of anti)corru$tion, #ill
encourage these $ractices to continue.
The eents of the ".lac3 Tuesday" in &ecember 2018, #hen the 'arliament #anted "to
legali6e the embe66lement= is an indicatie of $o#er of the local barons. +ince that attem$t
failed, the local barons are no# trying other #ays/ Romanian ,ice)$resident &ragnea #ould
li3e $oliticians ) mayors, $residents of county councils and ministers )to aoid accountability
for the acts they sign. A legal imbroglio ado$ted by the Romanian 'arliament recently o$ens
the $ossibility for all these high officials to delegate their $o#er of signature to other $ublic
officials.
,ictor 'onta is goerning the country listening to #hat the 4est is saying, but he is a#are
that he o#es his $o#er to '+& barons. And no#, he needs to than3 them too. ?ther#ise it
#ill cost him the elections from this year.
The need of ciil society inolement ) mass media
The fight against corru$tion should be fought not only by state institutions li3e 5ational
Anticorru$tion &irectorate @&5AA or 5ational Integrity Agency @A5IA. Een if &5A has
territorial serices and regional offices, the lac3 of human and administratie resources,
reduces the ca$acity of anti)corru$tion fight. This fight must be #aged also by the media and
5%?s, es$ecially at regional leel. *nfortunately, our country ran3s on the last $laces at
effectie regional goernance and this is ha$$ening because of the lac3 of inde$endent media
and lac3 of 5%?s actiities.
N*+,s
4ith fe# e7ce$tions, 5%?s are underfunded and don1t hae an actie interest anymore in
conducting $ro2ects to fight corru$tion. Recently, my efforts to gather su$$ort for an anti)
corru$tion $ro2ect #ere met #ith dryness because 5%?s in Romania do not hae financial
resources to su$$ort theis 3ind of $ro2ects in a sustainable #ay. Also, the 5%?s are reluctant
to fight against the local barons, the $eo$le #ho hae controlled Romania for the last 1B
years.
International su$$ort has also disa$$eared after the Euro$ean accession. *+AI& doesn1t
finance actiities in Romania anymore, and #hen they did, it had fe# funds for the fight
against corru$tion. Euro$ean funds are not suitable for such $ro2ects and goernment funding
een less so. The only aailable funds for such $ro2ects #ere $roided by Euro$ean
0ommission, 5%? fund for Romania, and other small calls $roided by (&+0.
Media
The fight against corru$tion at the local and regional leel is not made by the 2ournalists
#hich 9s. 5uland called at the $ress conference from Romania/ 9ircea 9arian @E,CA, &an
Ta$alaga @:otne#sA, +abina (ati @R>A, (lorin 5egrutiu @%andulA, Alina %heorghe @T,RA,
0atalin 'risacariu @.1A. They are 2ust the ti$ of the s$ear because of their access to national
media. 4e are than3ful to themD The battle against corru$tion is carried by do6ens of local
and regional 2ournalists #ho don1t a$$ear on teleision and #hich face daily the $o#er of
local $olitical leaders #ho hae all the resources in the region. +o I thin3 that they should be
the first to be sho#n su$$ort and to be recogni6edD
A pro-ect idea for !etter goernance at local and regional leel
The fight against corru$tion #ill not be effectie, if the system #ill not be im$roed. The
conictions made #ill not do anything than to let other corru$t $oliticians to ta3e the $osition
of arrested $oliticians. Therefore it reEuires the monitoring of $olitician actiities at local and
regional leel.
If in the near future the administratie regionali6ation #ill be sha$ed, the financial resources
#ill be closer to the local barons. Een #ithout the regionali6ation, local barons hae the
absolute $o#er at local and regional leel. I #ant to $resent you the $ro2ect idea I #anted the
Romanian 5%?s to su$$ort but could not get su$$ort because of the reasons #hich I adocate
aboe.
I thin3 that in order to fight corru$tion at local or regional leel, the Romanian state should
establish s$ecial teams of anti)corru$tion #atchdogs to #or3 at local leel. These #atchdogs
should be trained in good goernance issues in order to monitor the actiity of local and
regional $oliticians and $ublic administration. Romania has ! deelo$ment regions and 41
0ounties. (or each county should be elected one $erson, from the ciil sector, among
actiists, among inestigatie 2ournalists. The #atchdogs should be organi6ed by regions,
each team coordinated by a regional coordinator.
A #ebsite dedicated to the #or3 of the #atchdogs and local #histleblo#ers #ill be created.
The results of monitoring local and regional administration by the 41 s$ecialists #ill be
aailable on this site. A5I and &5A #ill benefit from the #or3 of these local #atchdogs,
haing access to more information.
The cost of such a $ro2ect for a year is of about 800,000 euros Is it too muchF Is it too littleF
+ome #ill say it is too much for a $ro2ect run by ciil society, but if this #ould effectiely
fight corru$tion at regional and local leel, it is not a big sum. +imilar sums are dierted
regularly by the local barons.
This sho#s that #e hae initiaties and there are $ro2ects that could im$lement your
reccommendations. :o#eer, #e need the #ill and financial resources to su$$ort those ideas.
And here is #here the *.+. +tate &e$artment could come into action, 9s. 5uland, because the
goernment or the Romanian $oliticians #ill neer cut the branch under themseles by
funding such ty$e of $ro2ects. If the *.+. is still interested in $romoting democracy in Eastern
Euro$e, it should finance its ob2ectiesD
*ratian Mihailescu graduated -ournalism. .e speciali/es in %uropean Affairs and
&egional "eelopment, studying in *ermany, Belgium, 0taly and .ungary, at
prestigious institutions in those countries. .e wor1ed for a period as a consultant in
Brussels, and in 2342 he returned in &omania and wor1s as a freelancer. .e is
concerned a!out %uropean policies, the a!sorption of %# funds, regionali/ation, good
goernance, su!sidiarity and democracy.