The paradox of the state budget system is that the dysfunctionality of the administration cannot be offset by salary cuts, but by the introduction of clear performance criteria and by salaries big enough to motivate decision-makers.

ZF wrote about the danger of low salaries for the highest-ranking officials at the beginning of June, and the topic was brought up again publicly by Lucian Croitoru, advisor of the National Bank of Romania Governor Mugur Isărescu yesterday.

According to Croitoru, the salaries of the Romanian high-ranking officials are extremely low compared with their position, which is why the hypothesis of high-level corruption remains.

"Everybody is complaining about salaries, but admits that the salaries of the President, of the Prime Minister and of the ministers are extremely low, compared with the position they hold, which is why we maintain the hypothesis of high-level corruption. This is why we cannot have trained people in the Government, not necessarily in the current one," Croitoru was quoted as saying by Mediafax yesterday.

This is the first time when an official part of the administration publicly speaks about the need for high salaries at the highest level, while most ministers are showing off by generously donating their salaries.

Unless high salaries are granted for the highest positions, the public administration will never be able to attract capable people who want a career in the public sector, and ministers will always be mere puppets or will try to use their position to make more money by resorting to influence peddling. A raise of the ministers' salaries by five or six times must come with harsh restructuring steps for the state-run organisations.

The paradox of the state budget system is that the dysfunctionality of the administration cannot be offset by salary cuts, but by the introduction of cle