Romanian President Traian Basescu launched a decency appeal to unions on Thursday, May 6, saying that these were forgetting that the members of these organisations are those managing the state's public institutions' money.

He said that the union leaders are appearing on television and are talking about corruption, "as if corruption took place when the Cabinet met", Romanian news agency Mediafax says.

The President stated that union leaders were forgetting it was their members who were managing the money of the state's public institutions.

"It is not the minister who signs the auctions, but their employees. So this is an appeal to decency that I make to the union leaders. And here is where i strongly stress to respect procedures", the President said.