Corruption in society is like a tax that is paid twice, and low-level corruption costs both the state and its citizens, the head of the French Anti-Corruption Agency, Charles Duchaine, said on Tuesday."There are some countries where there is, in a way, a tradition of paying for things that are accessible for free, where there are intermediaries who ask for money to get a permit and who, when you draw the line, are surrounded by people who are indebted to them. This does not exist in France, but it could happen tomorrow and I believe that we need to think that such behaviours have no cultural basis. If it is cultural, we should change the culture. There are countries where you are told that this happens because the officials are not paid well enough. I do not say it is false, it might be. But there are also countries where officials are well paid and still have this kind of corruption. Let's change the mentalities (...) and in order to do that let's explain to the people how much this costs them. Because it costs them a lot. It may seem unimportant, but it is a lot," the French official told a news conference.Duchaine underscored the need to prevent corruption and to focus on education."I think at this level we have to rely a lot on prevention, because there is no repression against small corruption. It will never be a priority, so we have to rely on prevention and education. If you want, corruption is a tax you pay twice," he explained.He also spoke about the importance of political will in the fight against corruption."Corruption is the crime of power, the crime of political power, the crime of economic power, it is the crime of the strong, and the fight against corruption must come from a very strong political will," the official said.According to the head of the French Anti-Corruption Agency, a joint effort is needed in this area. Corruption, like pollution, is not a problem that everyone solves in their own corner," Duchaine said.The director of the French Anti-Corruption Agency, Charles Duchaine, is paying a visit to Romania between September 27 and 29. (Photo:https://www.facebook.com/France.Romania/)
The 2025 edition of the year’s first major film fest in Europe (and one of the biggest worldwide), the Berlin International Film Festival, took place between 13 and 23 February. My notes come with a bit of delay, as I was also hit by the festival flu that got so many of us sniffling and […]
In the absence of current negative influences, Romania’s economy could have an annual growth potential of 3-4%. Political instability and global geopolitical risks are dampening growth. Economic growth in 2024 was driven by wage increases and accelerating consumption, satisfied however largely through imports. Due to a decline in domestic economic competitiveness, net exports contributed negatively […]
The Bucharest Stock Exchange (BVB) announced on Thursday, March 13, the launch of a new financial education section on the BVB Research Hub platform, dedicated to retail investors. The capital market operator said that it started this project out of the need to increase the level of financial education and promote the investment culture. It […]
The Romanian governing coalition's presidential candidate, Crin Antonescu, announced on Thursday, March 13, that he is launching a podcast designed to popularize his candidacy before the May elections. Antonescu, who is backed by the alliance made up of the Liberals (PNL), Social Democrats (PSD), the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians (UDMR), and the minorities, stated that he will […]
Some 4,500 teachers will learn about rights and responsibilities online, accessibility, inclusion, online well-being, and ethics as part of Incubatorul Civic Digital (ICD - The Civic Digital Incubator), a digital citizenship and democratic culture project implemented by Institutul Intercultural Timișoara, Asociația TechSoup and Școala de Valori. The project, which offers free training, is aimed at […]
Mihaela Murariu, Attorney at Law at Grecu Partners Business Law Firm, analyzes the impact of Artificial Intelligence on personal data protection. Artificial intelligence (AI) has become a ubiquitous technology, used in more and more fields, from marketing and healthcare to recruitment and financial services. However, the widespread use of AI raises numerous questions about privacy […]
