Bobby Darin picked up on this phrase from Sandra Dee, and turned his performing life around. I’ve seen “Beyond the Sea” more than a month ago, and it made me realize I’m getting behind on several fronts–no posts on the blog for more than 6 months, no nights out with my friends in a long time, no concrete progress in my personal life… But don’t think it’s all bad–I’m not depressed or anything! It’s spring, and I’ve decided to do something about it 🙂
Indeed, several things happened since August:
- CNI–the National Integrity Council went through a 2-months crisis, when one of the representatives on the Council attempted to interfere with an investigation regarding a former senator’s €4 mil. unjustified wealth. Thanks to a whistleblower within the Integrity Inspection at ANI, the Council learned of this crisis, and pushed that member to resign.
- The campaign for the November 30 elections almost made a mockery of the fight against corruption, but ended up with a new coalition Cabinet of populars and socialists that retained the liberal minister of justice, but changed 3 ministers of interior in 2 months.
- However ill-inspired may have been the Cabinet’s move to expunge all personnel at the Anti-fraud Department, I trust the new chief will soon assume office and deliver. Meanwhile, the Anti-corruption Prosecution maintained its beacon of hope, in spite of a non-transparent selection procedure and against previous reasoning.
- Romania still doesn’t have an applicable Anti-corruption Strategy for more than a year, so the EC Report on justice and anti-corruption reforms was quite harsh. But the Superior Council of Magistracy has a new chair, on their 1-year rotation, and the Cabinet has recently sent to Parliament the proposed texts for the new Codes.
- Recently, a couple of whistleblowers filed investigation requests against the ANI president and secretary general, so the Integrity Council conducts the investigation in parallel to the recruitment process for a new vicepresident at ANI. We’ll most probably see results by the end of March.
And I could go on, just like the song ain’t got no ending, [... but] don’t wanna abuse it 🙂 While I’ll continue to keep an eye on, and write about, corruption in Romania, it’s spring and I need to concentrate on other things, as well… I have a long list of issues, ranging from European relations to civil society, from domestic reforms to policy analysis to civil society, again 🙂 But I’ll also stop and smell the roses, to offer those people beyond the sea, waiting for me the attention and love they deserve–whether in the form of a martenitsa or a ballad or a kiss 🙂 Who knows, maybe you’ll get to see/hear something else, and I also manage to turn my life around 😉
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