Romania Leads Balkans on Open Budget Index

Romania has scored surprisingly well in a new world ranking of countries concerning the transparency of their budget arrangements.

The open budget index of the International Budget Partnership, IBP, for 2015, ranks Balkan states very differently on the global scale.

In the 2015 index, Romania came in ninth place globally, with an index of 75 out of a maximum of 100.

By comparison, three highest ranking states overall - New Zealand, Sweden and South Africa - scored 88, 87 and 86 respectively.

IBP, a non-profit NGO based in Washington, monitors the transparency of state budgets worldwide, advocating their accountability to the public.

The research measured the transparency of the budget, the possibility for public participation in it and strength of institutions overseeing its execution.

Open budget scores range from 0 to 100, with 100 being the highest. All countries are divided into categories, with "sufficient" countries scoring 61 and above and "insufficient" ones scoring 60 and less.

In the Balkans, Bulgaria came next after Romania with a score of 65.

Within the group of countries with "insufficiently" open budgets, Croatia, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina are placed in a sub-category of countries with a "limited" open budget rating. Croatia scored 53, Serbia 47 and Bosnia and Herzegovina 43.

Albania with 38 and Macedonia with 35 fell in the sub-category of countries with a "minimal" open budget rating.