Romanian president Klaus Iohannis stated that every step taken against corruption brings Romania closer to fulfilling The Mechanism for Cooperation and Verification (MCV), to joining Schengen as well as OCDE. Iohannis added that the fight against corruption will remain a permanent focus of his mandate.

“Two decades ago, firmly committed in the European direction, our country decided the creation of a special structure to fight against deliberate acts of corruption, especially those of high-level corruption. For a nation in transit, such a measure was of vital importance, especially from the perspective of structural reforms that took place at the central and local level”, said Iohannis on a special conference celebrating ”20 years of fight against corruption”, held by the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA).

The Romanian head of state mentioned the EU efforts to control and combat corruption as means aimed to consolidate democracy in modern states.

„These efforts are based on the rule of law, where law protects the common good, citizens and their rights. Two decades ago, the public perception in our country was that the Romanian society faces the corruption phenomena at all its levels and there were no efficient means yet discovered to fight this calamity”, the president further noted.

Therefore, the establishment of the National Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office, as a powerful countering corruption structure, served as a first step in taking responsibility in fighting against corruption in Romania on the long term.

“DNA’s route was not free of obstacles, regressions and even punctual failures. These need to be honestly and objectively evaluated as this is the only solution to learn from the lessons of the past, always keeping in mind the objective of a permanent improvement of its activity in serving society and the common good”, the president also mentioned.

“A society that rigorously fights corruption, with strong check and balance mechanisms, where decision makers act responsibly toward citizens and no one is above the law are key features of a powerful and stable society. The fight against corruption is synonymous to the fight for a better society that we wish for. The fight against corruption was and will remain a permanent focus of my mandates as President of Romania. In this troublesome times, we need more than ever a functional state, in which authorities collaborate in the spirit of constitutional loyalty, with politicians and honest civil servants, with a strong integrity culture”, added Klaus Iohannis.