Expert Forum (EFOR) is a think tank based in Bucharest, set up by well-known experts in public policy and public governance reform. The main domains covered by the organization are: administration reform and public sector integrity; decentralization, regional development, public finance; justice and anticorruption reform; energy as security issue in Eastern Europe; active citizenship and education for democracy; party finance and monitoring elections; fighting against fake news and disinformation.
Expert Forum members have been involved in the most important evaluations of institutional reforms in the public administration and have analyzed the policy process in recent years in Romania and neighboring countries (particularly in the Western Balkans and Moldova), in collaboration with the European Commission, Council of Europe, World Bank and United Nations Development Programme. We have been supported by many bilateral and multilateral international donors who intend to promote transparency and good governance in Romania and the region, as well as to monitor the proper, transparent use of public budgets.
Since its beginnings EFOR has set as an important goal for itself to forge partnerships with the business community in order to fight together for a cleaner and more responsible government, transparency in public budgets and a more open and predictable policy process. We do this by monitoring various public sectors and organizing public debates together with various business associations. We also participate in consortia with other non-profit organizations from the region to address cross-boder problems and solve problems of common interest.
Expert Forum is part of the Open Government Partnership initiative (http://www.opengovpartnership.org/) aimed at assisting governments to enhance transparency on information and public decisions. At the EU level, the president of EFOR Sorin Ioniță was a member of the European Economic and Social Committee, while Laura Ștefan, anti-corruption expert, is member of the 17 experts commission that monitors EU member states on anti-corruption policies and transparency. EFOR senior staff is regularly invited in TV and radio news programs to comment on public affairs and have a solid followership in social media.
Statement of non-partisanship and independence
EFOR is a projects-based organization which receives grants from Romania’s Western partners (mainly the EU), pro-democracy foundations from Western Europe and the USA, donations from private sources (Romanian citizens and businesses) and the 2% mechanism administered by the Romanian fiscal authorities. The EFOR board and staff are not involved politically. We are completely independent in respect to all our actions, publications or public statements, and do not accept any form of support that may be conditional upon reviewing or editing our materials before they become public.
