Ion ȘTEFANOVICI: „Romania needs a moral reform, not just an administrative-territorial one”

An editorial by Ion Stefanovici, President of CAPDR

In Romania, there is intense talk about administrative-territorial reform. Decentralization, reducing bureaucracy, optimizing resources – all are necessary for a modern state

But even the best-thought-out administrative organization will not work if it is not accompanied by a profound moral reform.

Metropolitan Bartolomeu Anania said, “The moral reform of the state is harder than any economic or administrative reform”. A statement that strikes at the heart of Romania’s modern problems: you cannot build a strong state on a corrupt foundation, full of privileges and lacking responsibility.

A state without morality is a failed state

We can reduce the number of counties, we can digitalize institutions, we can even eliminate stifling bureaucracy, but if those who govern this state are devoid of integrity, no reform will truly succeed.

Romania suffers not only from an oversized administrative apparatus but also from a crisis of morality that affects all its structures. The Romanian state is not weak because it lacks resources, but because it is governed by people who treat politics as a personal business.

The political class – an arena of interests, not values

Instead of being a power that protects citizens and ensures stability, the Romanian state has transformed into an instrument of control, manipulation, and the perpetuation of selfish interests. Politicians who talk about “reform” do so only to consolidate their positions, not to truly change Romania.

If there is no moral transformation at the top of politics, any administrative reform becomes just a nice wrapper for the same corruption, the same behind-the-scenes arrangements, and the same lack of responsibility.

What does real moral reform mean?

• An administration based on meritocracy, not political servility.
• A responsible political class that answers for the decisions it makes.
• Leaders who have demonstrated something in life, not individuals who have built their careers from deals and power plays.
• Total transparency in the spending of public money.
• A state that respects its citizens and does not treat them as an electoral pawn.

Romania cannot be reformed just by changing the administrative map. We must rebuild the moral foundation of the state. Without this reset, we will remain a country with institutions modernized only on paper, but with the same structural problems, the same recycled political figures, and the same empty promises.

Conclusion: The future of Romania depends on a new moral standard

If we continue to accept moral compromise in politics, the Romanian state will remain the prisoner of corruption and incompetence. But if we understand that real reform begins with the collective conscience, we have a real chance for change.

Romania does not need just a new administrative map. It needs a new moral foundation.