Romania is near the bottom of the ranking of European Union states in terms of the perception of corruption in the public sector, according to the latest annual report published by Transparency International. With a score of 45 points out of 100, our country is surpassed only by Bulgaria and Hungary, both with 40 points, while the European Union average is 62.
The Corruption Perceptions Index assesses the perception of public sector corruption in 182 states and territories on a scale of 0 to 100, where 0 means “very corrupt”, and 100 “not corrupt at all”. Romania has a level comparable to that of the so-called “fragile democracies”which registers an average score of 47 points.
The report shows that Romania’s situation is one of long-term stagnation. Over the past 14 years, scores have been relatively constant, with 44 points in 2012 and a high of 48 points in 2016–2017. Currently, our country remains below the European average and below the level of countries such as Italy (53), Spain (55), Croatia (47), France (66), Belgium (69) or Germany (77).
Transparency International emphasizes that the main priorities for Romania should be strengthening integrity in public office and continuing anti-corruption reforms. The organization draws attention to the need for the stability of anti-corruption institutions, the elimination of political pressures and ensuring a real separation of powers in the state, in the context of a recent period of undermining the rule of law, which affected public trust in fundamental institutions.
Among the measures considered essential are the establishment of the leadership of the National Integrity Agency, ensuring stability at the DNA level, strengthening the operational capacity of ANABI and reforming the Office for the Prevention and Combating of Money Laundering. Also, the need to improve the quality of anti-corruption criminal investigations is highlighted, so that they have sustainable results in court.
However, the report notes some positive developments, such as the decrease in the number of files returned from the preliminary chamber and the reduction of acquittals, aspects that indicate an increase in the quality of investigations. At the same time, it shows that unfavorable solutions in court in previous years were influenced by both legislative instability and cases built on spectacular accusations that did not hold up before the judges.
For the year 2026, Transparency International recommends the adoption of legislation regarding the transparency of declarations of wealth and interests, the clarification of the offenses of taking and giving bribes, the adoption of the Code of Administrative Procedure, the application of integrity pacts in public procurements of over one million lei, the sanctioning of the cover-up of acts of corruption and the combating of disinformation regarding judicial procedures.
At European level, the best scores are recorded by Denmark (89), Finland (88) and Sweden (80). Globally, the report shows a general trend of deterioration, even in consolidated democracies, amid declining leadership. The number of countries with scores above 80 points has dropped from 12 a decade ago to just 5 in this year’s edition of the index.
