Romania's action plan to eradicate rampant corruption in the country is displayed as a top priority by the government but the latest national anti-corruption report mainly relates minor criminal cases. It notably gives accounts of numerous examples of policemen subjected to bribery having refused large sums of money in exchange for "favourable solutions".
Bucharest also reports intensive campaigning against corruption via posters and advertising. These, according to the Romanian authorities, have resulted in better transparency and an improvement in the quality of the services provided to the citizen.
However such statistics on petty crime indictments and ad campaigns may not be sufficient to meet Brussels' expectations for the country to conform to European standards. Commission spokesman Mark Gray said recently that "what we don't see is prosecutions, particularly in the area of high-level corruption".
The Romanian constitutional court recently ruled that all investigations of high-ranking politicians must first get approval from Parliament. This move has since led to legal action being dropped against five top level politicians, including former Prime Minister Adrian Nastase.
Romanian President Traian Basescu reacted with anger, calling the constitutional court "a shield for corruption". This could have been an important test case for the country to show its commitment to the judicial reforms demanded by Brussels, but commentators believe that Romania's political class will never relinquish its immunity from prosecution.
