Romania’s
Presidency of the Council of the EU has come – and almost gone…It has not been
the disaster many people predicted not least the President of the country, one Klaus Johannis who takes
himself very seriously but has great difficulties conveying much sense and has
done the country no favours with his all too predictable carping from the
sidelines of a so-called socialist government.
The
Romanian Presidential system is modelled on the French and found an effective
(if rather eccentric) performer in Traian Basescu who managed to ride out some
serious challenges to his legitimacy between 2004-2014 and to embed a
prosecution system which has, however, become a bit of a Frankenstein. Indeed, its
anti-corruption Agency (DNA)
was exposed a couple of years ago as being in cahoots with the security system; being politically-motivated in its selection of those to prosecute; and using massive and illegal wiretaps.
Its Head Laura Kovesi was duly
removed from office in July 2018 by the Justice Minister (an act duly
approved by the Constitutional Court) and is now the subject of criminal
charges.
Half-way
through Romania’s 6-month term of the Presidency of the Council of the EU, the
country therefore found itself in the invidious situation of its ex- Prosecutor
Kovesi (who had received the support of the European Parliament for the new
post of European Prosecutor) being banned for 60 days
from travelling abroad.
But
President Klaus Johannis, sadly, seems as much a criminal as the leader of the
Social Democratic party Liviu Dragnea (barred
from holding office due to a prior conviction for “electoral fraud”) who has just
been jailed for 3 years – on an Al Capone type charge…. Johannis and his wife gained
hundreds of thousands of euros from renting property which, a
court judged in 2015, had been gained by them fraudulently. The full details
are here
Things are never simple in
Romania and the sad reality, as the country approaches the 30th anniversary
of its release from communism is that very little has changed for the better and – as
I explained in a series of posts last year – most serious people have now given
up hope of any possibility of positive change.
I know that pessimism
hangs heavily in the air these days throughout Europe ….most societies are suffering from one malaise or another……but it is the countries who broke free 30 years ago who are most at risk these days since few of their institutions are yet working in an equitable manner
Alina Mungiu-Pippidi is one of
the few people who has been trying to raise the profile of this issue - a
prolific and high profile Romanian academic/social activist (with a base for
the past few years in the Hertie School of Government in Berlin) who has been exploring
Romanian political culture and the wider issue of corruption for the past 2
decades. In 2006 she contributed a chapter on “Fatalistic political
cultures” to a book on Democracy and Political
Culture in East Europe. In this she argued (a) that it was too easy for
people (not least the political elite themselves!) to use the writings of
Samuel Huntington to write Balkan countries off; and (b) that we really did
need to look more closely at what various surveys (such as The World Values Survey) showed before
jumping to conclusions….In 2007 she gave us even more insights into the
Romanian culture with a fascinating and learned article - Hijacked modernisation -
Romanian political culture in the 20th century
Chasing
Moby Dick across every sea and ocean – contextual choices in fighting corruption
(NORAD 2011) is not the best of her writing – a bit scrappy to put it mildly - but
it asks the right questions. In particular – how many countries have actually managed to shake off a corrupt system
and build a credible system of rule of law? And how did they manage that feat?
That the answer is remarkably few - and that it took many generations - should make us all pause
That the answer is remarkably few - and that it took many generations - should make us all pause
A
decade ago the issues of “good governance” and “anti-corruption” were all the
rage for bodies such as the OECD and the World Bank - and academics. Now they
look a bit sheepish if people use the phrases….Silver bullets have turned out
to be duds…..But it is time to resurrect that debate...
Further Reading on Romania and institutional inertia
Academic articles/booklets
on political culture and Romania
A Guide to Change and
change management for Rule of Law practitioners
(INPROL 2015) a well-written guide which assumes that a "rule of law" system can be crated within a generation!
The Quest for Good Governance – how
societies develop control of corruption;
Alina Mungiu-Pippidi (2015). One of the most up-to-date analyses which demonstrates the weakness of data-driven analysis. Difficult to see the wood for the trees....But some very sharp insights...
Hijacked modernisation -
Romanian political culture in the 20th century;
Alina
Mungiu-Pippidi (2007) marvellous case-study
Poor Policy-making and how
to improve it in states with weak institutions; Sorin Ionitsa
(CEU 2006) One of the most acute assessments
books
In Europe’s Shadow – two
cold wars and a thirty-year journey through Romania and beyond; Robert Kaplan
(2016) - a fascinating book by a geopoliticist which has an element of the “Common Book” tradition
about it with its breadth of reading
A Concise History of
Romania; Keith Hitchins (2014) Very readable..
Mapping Romania - notes on an unfinished journey; Ronald Young (2019) just updated with posts from the last couple of years which get more and more fatalistic
Romania and the European
Union – how the weak vanquished the strong; Tom Gallagher (2009)
great narrative
Theft of a Nation – Romania since Communism; Tom Gallagher (2005) powerful critique
Romania – borderland of Europe; Lucian Boia (2001) Very readable and well translated
Theft of a Nation – Romania since Communism; Tom Gallagher (2005) powerful critique
Romania – borderland of Europe; Lucian Boia (2001) Very readable and well translated
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