Public administration in Romania faces certain challenges, with many decisions by officials reportedly not grounded in data, President Nicusor Dan said Wednesday.

In a press conference held at Cotroceni on the occasion of the debate on the National Defence Strategy, the president noted that a number of issues related to public administration had been included under the „vulnerabilities” chapter. He stated that public administration „faces certain challenges” and expressed surprise that, even at the national level, it „does not work” with data.

„There are many situations where decisions are not based on data. We do not see a strong appetite for collaboration between public institutions. Each one focuses on its own narrow sectoral politics, and as a result we lack an integrated vision. For the same reason, people in administration show little willingness to innovate or the courage to propose solutions, tending instead towards a defensive attitude, which leaves public administration in Romania somewhat stuck in a routine from which it does not know how to escape,” said Nicusor Dan.

According to him, the National Defence Strategy identifies corruption as a vulnerability, something that undermines social cohesion and affects the economy.

„Another vulnerability, which I insisted should be clearly outlined in the National Defence Strategy, is corruption. On the one hand, it weakens social cohesion – it is hard to identify with or defend a corrupt state – and on the other, it has consequences for the economy, for people’s prosperity, and for the quality of administration,” President Dan emphasised. AGERPRES