The people were out on the streets because they felt it was a crucial moment for the country, lying at the crossroads: either corruption and oligarchs will take over the country or transparency, good governance, anticorruption and rule of law will prevail.

Denmark remains the least corrupt country in the world (tied with New Zealand) and Somalia (176) the most, and yet Romania (57), which has indicted eighteen ministers, plus two former prime ministers and a former president in the last five years alone, is still behind Namibia (53) and Malaysia (55)

By Henry Rammelt, PhD, Triangle (UMR 5206), France That corruption pervades everyday life in Romania is a bit of a cliché, on both a domestic and

The question remains if Romania’s tough repressive strategy against corruption is sustainable against its own Parliament. MPs sometimes allow the prosecution of their colleagues, but they often withhold their permission.

Whether Romania can shine as a beacon of hope for democracy in Europe and beyond depends on how the current crisis will be resolved. The clock is ticking: the emergency ordinance’s provisions come into full effect on February 11 at midnight.

The Romanian protests anticipate thus a type of political engagement that we will likely to see future years in other places, an engagement that does not call for material gains or compensation, but for the recognition of the dignity of citizens and the rollback of measures that infringe on it

By Diana Margarit, PhD, lecturer in political science at Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, Romania On Tuesday evening, 31 January 2017, the Romanian