Let’s not be overjoyed, but we have, let’s face it, a head start in this problem of the fight against corruption.
Following the debates that have been going through French society for some time, I had the feeling of a remake: I have already seen this film, in its Romanian version. The French discover that their ministers are millionaires. Some are indignant, others claim that the publication of declarations of assets is populist. Journalists (like us in the past) make comparisons with other countries where transparency has existed for a long time – for example Sweden or Denmark. As a result, French opinion is in turmoil while the ex-budget minister Jérôme Cahuzac – the one through whom the scandal happened – only asked forgiveness for his lie (in the meantime he left office).
It’s funny, in a way, that the debate takes place in the same terms as in the past in Romania when the declarations of assets and interests were introduced [en 2003]. And President François Hollande’s proposal – to create special institutions that would deal with corruption and tax evasion – was welcomed with the same arguments as in our country, when the National Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office was created. [en 2002 ; en 2006, son nom a changé, devenant la Direction nationale anticorruption]. It is interesting to observe that the French political establishment reacts exactly like that of a country such as Romania, a country which created these special institutions to fight corruption because theUE pressured!
Nor can we pretend not to see that, even if it was France that caught fire on the subject of anti-corruption (we had already become accustomed to scandals of this kind in Italy or Greece), this means that Europe has lost control. The crisis has only allowed the old demons buried under the carpet to resurface. And corruption, conflicts of interest and the flight of money to tax havens will give more grain to grind to low-end populisms, which flourish everywhere in the old European democracies. The issue of immigrants also has explosive potential, as it fuels the discourse of those who have become accustomed to finding a “scapegoat” by shifting the guilt onto foreigners (as the British do with Romanians and Bulgarians). These are problems for which the European Union will have to find appropriate solutions, beyond the mere rhetoric of a European Union as a space of peace and prosperity.
The 2014 European elections will play a crucial role, they will have to show to what extent European citizens still want to get involved in European construction, with the possibility of low turnout, even in the countries in which the European project still inspires confidence.
We, the countries of the post-communist East, have faced problems that “the old democracies” are only now discovering. We could act as consultants to them. Will they agree to buy our advice?
—Mircea Vasilescu
Posted May 30
Source of the article
Born on the rubble of Scînteia, the daily newspaper of PC Romanian, “The Truth” demonstrates independence and political and journalistic balance, while being critical of the current government. It proclaims itself the most important Romanian daily.
He chose as his motto “No one is above the law” displaying his commitment to social justice. For the past 10 years, it has benefited from some major press signatures within its editorial staff.
The website offers the content of the last issue. Consultation of the archives requires prior registration. Access to articles is easy, by type of section, with photos and printable version. The site also offers a link to the weekly, economic and literary supplements.
Possibility to download the front pages of this newspaper for free PDF
Read more
Nos services