US ambassador Klemm: Romania's fight against corruption, more and more credible

Romania's fight against corruption is more and more credible, which strengthened the strategic partnership with the United States of America, on Tuesday asserted the US ambassador in Bucharest, Hans Klemm at a seminar on the anti-corruption practices in businesses.

We cannot stress enough the contribution the more and more credible fight against corruption of Romania has had upon the force of our bilateral strategic partnership. It's worth highlighted as well, Romania's investment in the international security both here, in the Black Sea region, and in pretty remote battlefields. We recognise the strong economic growth Romania is enjoying currently. Romania's contribution as regards its fight against corruption was truly beneficial to our strategic partnership that it has strengthened. It is recognsied in the US, in the capital cities of the EU member states and I firmly encourage Romania to continue its fight against corruption, the ambassador said, during the event organised by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Romania (CCIR) in partnership with the US Embassy in Bucharest and the US General Dynamics company.

According to Klemm, from the perspective of the business risk management, corruption increases business-associated costs and risks, intimidates investments, hampers economic growth, distorts prices, obstructs economic development and corrupts the public procurement processes of the government.

In accordance with a survey by the US Department of State, called "Fighting against corruption globally - business risk management" corruption is increasing the cost of a business by at least 20 percent. Therefore, the employees and the honest, efficient citizens are deterred. Corruption starts with petty acts and evolves to broader activities and an increased tolerance of these practices, to punishing the honest and accepting by the society of an incentive program with adverse effects, added Hans Klemm.

The diplomat also said that 40 years ago, the US Congress has passed the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, that forbids the US companies to pay or promise that they were going to pay foreign dignitaries, foreign political parties or other persons or candidates to jobs in exchange of influencing the actions of a foreign dignitary in exercising their attributions. Mostly, the provisions of this law have functioned pretty well and the representatives of General Dynamics will confirm that the American companies operating abroad know very well the obligations and constraints it levies. The law on corruption practices abroad has created a prevention framework that could be a guide to companies, by hindering them to exceed ethic and legal limits, the US ambassador added.