Even though Romania was monitored by the EU and urged by several states to intensify its fight against corruption in order to join Schengen, the political class endangers its hopes, AFP reads on Friday.

The rally of the opposition party, the Social Democratic Party in favor of one of its members accused of graft, the refusal of Parliamentarians to lift the immunity of their colleagues accused of graft were very bad signals to the EU, European experts say quoted by AFP.

The European Commission is about to release the interim evaluation reports on anti corruption fight and the reform of the judiciary in Romania and Bulgaria. Democratic Liberal Party members like Monica Macovei and Cristian Preda called for a stricter code of ethics but without too much success.

Romania’s Institute for Public Policies pleads for the resignation of the PDL deputy Dan Pasat to save the credibility of the Parliament in its fight against corruption. Romanian sociologist Vintila Mihailescu is quoted saying that politicians are caught in a domino: if one falls, all others are threaten by the fall. Naturally, the corruption phenomenon is not specific only to Romania as recent scandals in Italy and France prove it, AFP reads.