Romania- The Struggle for European Acceptance

Reasons for Pursuing this project

I have always been very interested in the economic, social and political transformations Romania has been experiencing starting with December 1989, the significant moment in which the Romanian people put a stop to the tyrannical communist regime and welcomed democracy.

In my webpage, I provide an overview of the economic transformations Romania experienced beginning with the fall of the communism, placing emphasis on the more recent years during which the government has accelerated the transition from a centralized economic system to a market economy that protects and respects democratic values, in order for the country to join the European Union. In addition, I discuss the expected costs and benefits of Romania joining the EU.

The Legacy of Commuism

December 1989 brought a period of tremendous change in the lives of the Romanian people and the following years were characterized by instability and endless fights among Romania’s political parties, on the grounds of who is responsible for the economic failure experienced by the country (Kaldor 142). Besides having to face “market distortions and structural problems common to all transition countries” (Romania – Country Assistance Evaluation 11), the Romanian people, severely weakened by former president’s Nicolae Ceausescu ambition of repaying the country’s entire external debt, also suffered the consequences of living in a country in which the bureaucracy was “insecure, politicized, and prone to corruption” (Romania – Country Assistance Evaluation 11). The legacy of communism was hard to shake off and, backed by a presidential regime, many former Communist party members —who gained power after the December 1989 revolution— took advantage of their political positions and pursued their own selfish interests, disregarding, at the same time, the needs and rights of the people. (Tismaneanu 319). The 10 years in which President Ion Iliescu— a former leader in the Communist Party and one of Ceausescu’s protégé— ruled the country (1989–1996, 2000-2004), were a severe transition period during which true reforms failed to be implemented and democratic institutions were practically inexistent (Kaldor 144). Thus, communist rule was followed by an inefficient “democratic” leadership that had tremendously weakened not only the economy but also its society. Iliescu had “established a governing coalition with the country's most anti-Hungarian, anti-Semitic, and anti-liberal movements,” which allowed members of the former Securitate — Ceausescu’s private army, a ruthless security apparatus— to became successful businessmen (Tismaneanu 320). Also, “Romanian civil society remained particularly weak, with paltry levels of civic engagement compared to other countries, with low levels of trust, tolerance, and other measures of the cooperative spirit that underlies the civic culture” (Badescu 335).