Romania opens officials’ wealth to public scrutiny

Public officials and their families in Romania must now declare their fortunes in full.

Under pressure from Brussels to boost transparency, Bucharest has toughened its anti-graft law. The parliament’s main goal is fighting high-level corruption, the main obstacle to European Union membership. Nobody voted ‘no’ but mainly ultra-nationalist MPs abstained. Centrist Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu came to power last December promising to get tough on graft. After the vote, he said: “Corruption remains an immediate concern and we will continue to fight it. No progress would have been possible without this fundamental change.” For the first time since the fall of communism, public officials must declare the assets of family members. The listings now published on the Internet are supposed to cover property, bank accounts, cars, art treasures and items of jewellery valued at more than 5,000 euros apiece.

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