Methodology

1. What we count as a source

We use only primary official sources: documents published directly by the institution that produced the data. We do not use political parties' estimates or studies without public data as the source of a figure. The press is a starting point for research, and a published figure must be found in the original document. The only exceptionis facts about a recent law or reorganisation whose official document is not public (for example the organisation charts cut after a law): there we cite press reports, confirmed by at least two outlets, and in the list of sources they are marked “Press”.

The portals we start from most often:

• Budget transparency — Ministry of Finance — budget execution reports of public institutions and local administrative units
• Eurostat — public spending by function (COFOG) and statistics comparable across EU countries
• INS — TEMPO Online — population by locality and other official national statistics
• Romanian Court of Accounts — audit reports on public institutions and programmes
• European Commission — VAT Gap — the VAT collection gap in member states
• European Commission — Digital Decade / DESI — indicators on digital public services
• Single Market Scoreboard — public procurement performance indicators, comparable across the EU
• SEAP / e-licitatie.ro — public procurement procedures in Romania
• data.gov.ro — open datasets published by state institutions

2. How we check a figure

1. We find the figure in the official document and note the exact page or table.
2. We record the link, the publication date and the date on which we accessed the document.
3. We check that the indicator's definition is the same in every country compared.
4. A second person checks the figure against the source before publication.

This process is also enforced technically: the site cannot be published if a figure has no registered source with a link and an access date. Every figure in the analyses points, through a number in square brackets, to the original document.

3. Comparisons with other countries

We compare Romania with the EU average and with relevant countries only when the indicator is calculated with the same methodology for all of them. When the data are not comparable, we say so explicitly in a “Limits of the data” section instead of forcing the comparison.

4. Alternatives, not recommendations

For each documented problem we show what other countries did and what measurable results they got. We do not recommend a particular solution: the same measure can have different effects in different contexts, and the choice is a public decision.

5. How we build estimates

The tools that estimate a potential saving follow three rules:

• The assumptions are in plain view, next to the result, not hidden in a footnote.
• The result is a range, not a single number, because every estimate has a margin of uncertainty.
• The limits are stated: what the calculation cannot capture and why.

An estimate shows the order of magnitude of a problem. It is not a promise of savings and not a reform plan.

6. What we do not do

• We do not accuse individuals. We analyse institutions, structures, projects and spending.
• We do not support or criticise parties or candidates.
• We do not publish figures we cannot verify in the original source.

7. Corrections

If a figure is wrong, we correct it and note the correction in the article, with the date. The institutions analysed can send a point of view, which we publish. Details on the Right of reply page.