The Foundation For The Foundation For The Defense Of Citizens Against State Abuses (FACIAS) has conducted a detailed analysis on the management of complaints and sanctions applied to public officials in Romania as part of the "STOP abuses by public officials" campaign. On the basis of data obtained from various public institutions, town halls and central and local authorities, the FACIAS analysis reveals significant shortcomings in the process of sanctioning and investigating abuses committed by public officials.
A wake-up call - the low percentage of sanctions applied
According to data from the National Agency of Civil Servants (ANFP), only 4925 complaints against all public servants in Romania were registered between 2018 and 2022, i.e. in five years. The distribution of complaints against civil servants by category is as follows:
The statistical data and complaints received by FACIAS indicate a markedly high incidence of abuse of public officials against citizens. This is in stark contrast to the official data of the ANFP, which indicates that less than 1,000 complaints are registered per year across the entire country.
A survey conducted by FACIAS revealed that 94% of citizens have experienced abuse at the hands of a state institution. Among respondents, 31.9% reported having been abused on one to three occasions, 24.7% on four to six occasions, 22.3% on seven to ten occasions, and 15.1% on more than 11 occasions.
Heads of institutions top the abuse list
The distribution of complaints, as indicated by ANFP data, reveals that the majority of grievances are directed towards middle-level civil servants and heads of departments. The relatively low number of officially registered complaints against civil servants underscores the lack of trust among citizens in the current system and highlights the pressing need for reforms in the system of sanctioning and management of civil servants.
The FACIAS data, obtained from 55 central and local public institutions, show that less than 13.5% of all citizens' complaints resulted in sanctions, most of which were simple written reprimands.
According to experts consulted by FACIAS in the "STOP abuses by public officials" , this extremely low rate indicates a clear lack of effectiveness in investigating misconduct and raises serious questions about whether institutions are able to take effective action against misconduct by their employees. This situation potentially could be caused by complex bureaucratic procedures, a lack of adequate resources or even a systemic reluctance on the part of the institutions to sanction drastically employees who break the rules.
STOP protecting officials at the expense of citizens
The FACIAS campaign draws attention to the necessity for immediate reforms to the mechanism for holding public officials accountable in Romania. The exceedingly low percentage of sanctions applied demonstrates a number of deficiencies in the system, which, rather than prioritising the interests of citizens and holding public officials to account, actually serves to benefit the latter.
FACIAS invites all citizens to sign a petition and say STOP abuses by public officials of Romania!