The British Ambassador in Bucharest Quinton Quayle has joined US Ambassador Michael Guest and French Ambassador Philippe Etienne in the chorus of foreign diplomats criticising corruption and red tape in Romania. Quinton Quayle feels too many foreign investors stay away from Romania for fear they might be affected by corruption if they invested here.
Quayle says he appreciates the Government's commitment to fight corruption and explains the UK has vowed to back this. Out of the 30 British advisors for the Romanian Government, two have been especially assigned to deal with this issue, so that one of them is working with the police and the other with the customs, two corruption-ridden institutions.
Quinton Quayle added corruption was a worldwide phenomenon and was affecting the business environment in many countries, the UK included, but was an extremely serious issue in Romania.
The British Ambassador talked about his trips across the country and about various business people being unhappy with the corruption "expanding."
"One of the investors told me his business was doing great, he had 100 Romanian employees, sales had gone up, exports had gone up, too, yet he was thinking of selling it all and moving the investment to Bulgaria. Why is that? Because he was fed up with all sorts of constant controls from bureaucratic institutions, which knew he was successful and he had got money so that they were always coming in for inspections to get their fees," Quayle explained.
The British diplomat feels corruption not only keeps investors away but also drives them away and vanquishes profit, prosperity and jobs.
Quayle says he trusts the Government to keep its promise to fight corruption, though. It is vital for Romania's success in the EU in 2007, he added.
Some business people are pessimistic and want to see results first, not just promises, Quinton Quayle added.
Inquired about his opinion on the corruption of ministers and public servants in Romania, the Ambassador answered the specific corruption cases needed to be investigated whenever there were suspicions. The investigation should prove whether the people in question are guilty or not.
At any rate, it is very important that such cases should be investigated. Moreover, the fact that the authorities have taken such steps is a "good start" the British official feels.
"Somebody once told me: when you have eaten too much for too long and got fat, saying you'll change the diet is not enough. You just need to lose weight - the scale won't lie. We want to see results and not just more promises," Quayle commented.
Romania needs to change its image abroad and do it fast. A recent Transparency International report rated Romania on top of the corrupt European countries, which should serve as a warning, as a message, Quayle says.
French Ambassador Philippe Etienne says the French companies in Romania are often subjected to "endless" financial controls. "This seems to be based on the red tape phenomenon," Etienne specified.
dorin.oancea@zf.ro
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