Romania ranks, for the third consecutive year, among the EU countries with the weakest results in combating corruption, achieving a score of 46 points out of a possible 100, equal to that of Malta, according to the 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), released by Transparency International on Tuesday.The CPI ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption on a scale of zero (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean)."Global corruption levels remain alarmingly high, with efforts to reduce them faltering," reads a Transparency International press release."Against a backdrop of record-breaking global warming and extreme weather events, erosion of democracy and a decline in global climate leadership, the world has its back against the ropes in its fight against the climate crisis," Transparency International warns.The European Union has the highest scores in the CPI ranking, nonetheless the EU average is 62 points, two points lower than the previous years.The highest-scoring countries in the region are Denmark (90), Finland (88) and Luxembourg (81).Romania scores 46 points out of 100, same as Malta, and among EU countries with the weakest results in terms of corruption combat.At the EU level, the largest decline in the CPI ranking over the last year is seen in Germany (75 points, minus 3 points compared to 2023), Austria and France (67 points, minus 4 points compared to 2023), Slovakia (49 points, minus 5 points compared to 2023), and Malta (46 points, minus 5 points compared to 2023).Although it is one of the few countries in the European Union that has maintained a stable score in the CPI ranking, Romania remains well below the EU average. According to Transparency International's methodology, scores below 50 points are considered unacceptably low.Recommendations for Romania include implementing the integrity agreements as means to monitor public procurement; improving citizens' awareness in terms of law breeches reporting in areas such as public procurement, money laundering prevention, climate protection, public health; updating legislation in the area of public integrity; adopting a government programme to fight corruption leading to a better score of at least 50 points by 2027; non-formal and informal education for pupils and students on basic notions of democratic principles, individual rights, ethics and integration in the society. (Photo:https://www.transparency.org/)
In the context in which agri-food systems are responsible for almost one third of global greenhouse gas emissions, Auchan Romania assumes an active role in the transition of its supply chain toward a more sustainable model. At the second edition of the Climate Supplier Event, organized under the aegis of the Climate Change Summit, the […]
Janiva Magness, the winner of seven Blues Music Awards following 26 nominations, and nominated for a Grammy for a career spanning 17 albums, is set to perform at the 14th edition of the Brașov Jazz & Blues Festival, which will take place between August 14–16, 2026. Magness is one of the most valuable and influential […]
Auction house Artmark announced a major auction for this winter featuring an engraving created by Francisco Goya, the most important Spanish artist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Romania's late communist leader Nicolae Ceaușescu received this gift from King Juan Carlos I as a gesture of diplomacy. The engraving entitled “The Engagement – Capricho […]
Authorities managing Romania's Bicaz Gorges–Hășmaș National Park has built a fish ladder system on the Bicaz River, which will allow protected species to migrate and reproduce. There are several bridges and small bridge structures in the Bicaz River that have a “bottom sill,” meaning small waterfalls. Fish that do not jump like the trout cannot […]
The far-right opposition parties in the Romanian Parliament are set to file a motion of no confidence against the government headed by prime minister Ilie Bolojan. The motion, authored by senator Ninel Peia of the Peace – Romania First group, is specifically aimed at the reformist party Save Romania Union (USR), and is entitled “Romania […]
Romania's iconic rock singer Adrian Pleșca, known as “Artan,” died on Tuesday, December 2, after a fatal stroke, at the age of 64. The artist founded the well-known band “Timpuri Noi” in 1982 and “Partizan” in 2001, and was popular on the Romanian rock scene. Over the years, he left and returned to the two bands. Several […]
