Vasile Tarlev: Anticorruption efforts must target not only medicine and education

Anticorruption efforts must target not only the areas that enjoy broad media coverage, like medicine and education, but also the judiciary, the customs system, home affairs and public administration at all levels, stated Prime Minister Vasile Tarlev at the national conference “Progress and Prospects in Curbing Corruption”. According to the Premier, the existing legal framework enables the successful fulfilment of the objectives in preventing and fighting the phenomenon of corruption. It’s now up to the law enforcement bodies to concentrate their efforts and effectively apply criminal laws in order to make sure that the persons involved in corruption activities are hold answerable. Reducing corruption will stimulate reforms, a favourable business climate and fair competition. In addition, it will help to increase the efficiency of public institutions, to ensure the state’s security, to improve the image of our country at international level. To accomplish this, the Government is open to cooperation for both public institutions and civil society, the Premier concluded. Valentin Mejinschi, director of the Centre for Combating Economic Crimes and Corruption, said Moldova recognises that corruption has become a global threat, along with terrorism. Moldova has confirmed its political will to annihilate this social evil as the fight against corruption is key on the path towards sustainable development and European Integration, Mejinschi pointed out. Cornel Virgiliu Calinescu, anticorruption expert for MOLICO project, said that while Moldova has made some progress in fighting corruption as well as aligning itself to the international standards in this field, the way how the population perceives corruption is still worrying. There is much to be done in this direction; there is a package of laws that wait to be enacted by Parliament, and once implemented, these could bring changes for Moldova, Calinescu concluded. The national conference “Progress and Prospects in Curbing Corruption” will continue its works on Friday, December 7. The event brings together international and foreign experts, including representatives of civil society.