Prime Minister Iurie Leanca called upon the Moldovan political class to become more actively engaged in the fight against corruption. He made the call in the program “The Shadow Cabinet” on Jurnal TV channel, IPN reports.

The Premier said that corruption is deep-rooted in the state institutions and Moldova will be unable to achieve sustainable economic growth if this phenomenon is not eradicated. “We reached a critical point when we cannot go on like this. The situation should be urgently analyzed so as to see what we can do to change things,” he stated.

Iurile Leanca admitted that there are serious shortcomings in the system; the results of the package of anticorruption laws are insignificant, while the rise in the salaries of judges wasn’t the best solution for reforming the justice sector.

He said that the President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso asked that more independence be offered to judged, but he had to contradict him, explaining that the judges enjoy full independence, but bear not much responsibility.

Iurie Leanca is optimistic that when the Association Agreement with the EU starts to be implemented, the situation will improve. “When the accord is signed, we will assume a number of commitments and the European Commission will have more instruments for exerting influence,” he stated.

IPN reminds that Jose Manuel Barroso, who was in Moldova on a visit on June 11 and 12, requested the Moldovan authorities to determinedly eliminate corruption.