Reforming Romania's social protection system entails a shift from fragmentation to integrated social services, said on Monday Anna Akhalkatsi, World Bank Director for the European Union, at a conference held in Bucharest.
Anna Akhalkatsi recalled that in 2023, when the scandal over long-term care facilities in Romania erupted, the World Bank conducted an analysis of the services provided and the agencies responsible for delivering them, which revealed much to her surprise a highly fragmented system, with 70 or more services offered by five to ten different agencies operating under differing standards and cost structures, agerpres reports.
Romania has moved past diagnosis and into the solution phase, Anna Akhalkatsi said, underlining that integration not fragmentation must guide the future direction of the system.
Also speaking at the conference, Michal Rutkowski, the World Bank's Regional Director for Human Development, referred to the long-term evolution of social protection, noting a gradual shift from service-based assistance to cash transfers. He recalled that social protection initially relied on services provided by churches, humanitarian organisations and wealthy individuals, amid widespread concerns that financial assistance to poor or vulnerable people would be wasted. Over time, however, evidence has shown that cash transfers are generally used responsibly, with beneficiaries investing the money in improving their livelihoods. From this perspective, Rutkowski argued that cash support often proves the most effective option, as informed individuals are best placed to decide how resources should be used, while stressing that the objective is not to replace services with cash, but to combine the two approaches.
World Bank representatives took part in the Regional Conference "From conceptual framework to action: Developing stronger, more inclusive and integrated social services," which is taking place in Bucharest from January 19 to 21.
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