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Description
The objective of the project is to support the Romanian authorities in developing the new, strategic, post 2020 anti-corruption policy.
The activities include performing the post evaluation of the previous National Anticorruption Strategy (NAS) 2016-2020, formulating recommendations for a post – 2020 strategic document and improving the technical capacities of the Ministry of Justice to monitor the implementation of the anticorruption standards improved.
Summary of project results
The project’s main objective was two folded, respectively to assess the implementation of the National Anticorruption Strategy 2016-2020, as well as to improve the technical capacities of the Ministry of Justice for monitoring anticorruption standards implementation. The first component implied also the formulation, by the international partner organization OECD, of recommendations for the NAS 2021-2025.
The project aimed to address two outputs:
- Output 1 Implementation of the National Anticorruption Strategy 2016-2020 assessed;
- Output 2 Technical capacities of the Ministry of Justice for monitoring anticorruption standards implementation, improved.
Output 1: Implementation of the National Anticorruption Strategy 2016-2020 assessed – 100%
In November 2021, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), submitted to the Ministry of Justice the evaluation report of the National Anti-Corruption Strategy for 2016-2020. The findings, conclusions and recommandations contained within were endorsed and, as a result the National Anti-Corruption Strategy for 2021-2025 was approved through the Government Decision no. 1269/2021.
Output 2 - Technical capacities of the Ministry of Justice for monitoring anticorruption standards implementation, improved – 100%
The web portal of the National Anticorruption Strategy was created and the necessary IT equipment for storing and introducing NAS data was purchased (one server). Thus, a flexible, modern IT tool which supports the collection and publishing of data concerning the implementation of the anti-corruption strategy is operational. So far, 31 out of the envisaged 35 institutions submitted reports to the MoJ on institutional transparency and anti-corruption measures to be uploaded in the portal''s new database.
National Anti-Corruption Strategy represents the key programmatic document of Romania reuniting the measures aimed at preventing corruption, promoting organizational integrity, anti-corruption education and, last but not least, recovering receivables generated by the commission of crimes. As such, the range of beneficiaries of the strategy is extremely wide, as it is reflected by the monitoring process which implies five cooperation platforms, respectively: the platform of the independent authorities and anticorruption institutions; the platform of the central public administration; the platform of the local public administration; the platform of the business environment; the platform of the civil society.
Thus, the ex-post evaluation of the impact of the National Anticorruption Strategy (NAS) 2016-2020, significantly supported the continuity and improvement of the anti-corruption policy in Romania, as it allowed the fast approval and entry into force of the 2021-2025 Strategy (approved through the Government Decision no. 1269/2021).
The ex-post audit assesed how resources were used, the accomplishment of the expected impact and the efficiency of the interventions against the general objectives of the NAS, namely: development of a culture of transparency for open governance at central and local level; increasing the institutional integrity by including the corruption prevention measures as mandatory elements of the managerial plans and their periodical evaluation as integral part of administrative performance; strengthening integrity, reduction of vulnerabilities and corruption risks in priority sectors and fields of activity; increasing the level of knowledge and understanding of the integrity standards by employees and the beneficiaries of the public services; strengthening the performance in the anticorruption field by criminal and administrative means; increasing the level of implementation of anticorruption measures by approving the integrity plan and the periodic self-assessment at the level of all central and local public institutions, including the subordinated and coordinated institutions, as well as of public enterprises.
The quality of the ex-post evaluation is reflected in the fact that the National Anti-Corruption Strategy 2021-2025 incorporates 93.18% of the recommendations formulated by the partner OECD.
Furthermore, the project supported the implementation of the strategy in force and will also support the implementation of the future strategies, through the development of a user-friendly and flexible web portal, able to collect data and information on them and to allow an appropriate monitoring of the implementation of the anticorruption standards provided in the NAS. Moreover, the portal is a very good source of information for the public.