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Romania and the European Union changes and challenges EUROPEAN POLICY STUDIES CoRe Studies II Romania and the European Union Changes and Challenges Country Report Series II (CORE-series) European Policy Studies Universiteit van Amsterdam © 2009, E. Albers, H. Annaji, N.A. Beek, W. Beeking, J.R. Boerman, J.M.F. den Bouwmeester, E. de Mol, S. Rossitto, K.S. Schipper, S. Schreuder, R.J.C. Schroevers, O.E. Spiekman, J.G. Suiskind, M.J.B. van der Vorle, C. de Waal. Alle rechten voorbehouden. Niets uit deze uitgave mag worden verveelvoudigd, opgeslagen in een geautomatiseerd gegevensbestand, of openbaar gemaakt, in enige vorm of op enige wijze, hetzij elektronisch, mechanisch, door fotokopieën, opnamen of enig andere manier, zonder voorafgaande schriftelijke toestemming van de auteurs. Voor zover het maken van kopieën uit deze uitgave is toegestaan op grond van artikel 16B Auteurswet 1912 j°, het besluit van 20 juni 1974, Stb. 351, zoals gewijzigd bij het Besluit van 23 augustus 1985, Stb. 471 en artikel 17 Auteurswet 1912, dient men de daarvoor wettelijk verschuldigde vergoedingen te voldoen aan de Stichting Reprorecht (Postbus 882, 1180 Amstelveen). Voor het overnemen van gedeelte(n) uit deze uitgave in bloemlezingen, readers en andere compilatiewerken (artikel 16 Auteurswet 1912) dient men zich tot de uitgever te wenden. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system of any nature, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying or recording, without prior written permission of the authors. ISBN 978-90-807611-5-5 Romania and the European Union Changes and Challenges Country Report Series II (CORE-series) European Policy Studies Universiteit van Amsterdam Supervisor: dr. A.C. van Wageningen July 2009 Acknowledgement We, fifteen students enrolled in the Master programme European Policy of the University of Amsterdam, examined the changes Romania has gone through and the challenges it continues to face in Romania’s accession and integration into the European Union. We would like to thank all persons, organisations, companies and public administrative bodies that have assisted through cooperating and sharing their knowledge (see appendix 3). Without their support this research project would not have been possible. Our special thanks go out to Gabriël Badescu, Toma Burean, Florin Fesnic, Carmen Greab, Irina Kantor and the students of the Faculty of Political Science and Public Administration of the University Babes-Bolyai of Cluj-Napoca who contributed to our project. Furthermore, we would like to thank Mioara Pitut of the Romanian Embassy in the Netherlands and Dorin Perie of the University of Amsterdam. We would also like to thank our course supervisor Anne van Wageningen for his support and for giving us the opportunity to carry out this research project. This report is a collective effort for which we all take responsibility. It should be emphasised that this report must be seen as a study project as it is part of the Master programme European Policy. Preface I am proud to present the second of a series of country reports, in short the CORE series, of the master European Policy Studies. This report is about Romania. In 1989 Romania has changed dictatorial rule to democratic rule. Since 1989, Romania has also been engaged in a transition from a state led economy to a market economy. In 2007 Romania joined the European Union as a member state. It is safe to say that Romania has made some enormous changes in a period of no more than 20 years. Under my supervision and as a part of their master European Policy Studies, 15 students of the Universiteit of Amsterdam have organised a field research trip to Romania to investigate the aforementioned transitions and to address the question of the Romanian integration in the European Union. They had a political, legal and economical focus underpinned by a cultural and historical background. Their research has been interdisciplinary and this report shows just that. They combined desk research with interviews in Cluj-Napoca, Jucu-de-Sus and Bucarest. In only 14 weeks they have obtained insight in the internal affairs of Romania, its relationship with the European Union and some important problems still waiting to be solved. Romania has changed enormously. The cover photos resume these changes well. Still, some serious endeavours lie ahead for the Romanian people. Corruption, the modernisation of the infrastructure, the quality and content of education, the improvement of the judicial procedures and the development of a competitive agriculture are some of the Herculean tasks ahead for Romania. A mentality change is another. Romanian society at large could benefit from a more proactive attitude. Nevertheless, after obtaining the membership of the European Union, the same Union and the other Member States were quick to withdraw their administrative support, leaving Romania on its own to comply with the acquis communautaire. Member States keep underestimating the impact of forty years of entirely different histories. The wealth of this report not only stems from the information that the students gathered and analysed, it also is the result of the chosen interdisciplinary approach. This enabled the students to draw conclusions surpassing a single disciplinary approach. They thus proved that some inferences about our complex social reality can only be made after interdisciplinary research. Therefore once again, the second CORE-study clearly demonstrates the necessity of and need for interdisciplinary studies like European studies, particularly European Policy Studies. I took pleasure in coaching and accompanying these students. They were very much involved in making a success of this course. For them, the course itself was an adventure, as no preset course material was available. They had to find their own information and make a comprehensive selection. They were not discouraged by last minute changes in organising their interviews. During their collaboration they showed a genuine team spirit. This report proves for it. Finally, I want to thank Dr. Dorin Perie, colleague and also expert on Romania, for his contribution to the field trip. His historical explanations were of great help to the students to understand some complex issues of Romanian society. Of course I want to thank the fifteen participating students for their enthusiasm and their infinite dedication, which by far exceeded the demands of a compulsory assignment. Dr. A.C. van Wageningen Amsterdam, July 2009 Contents Acknowledgement ......................................................................................................................... 4 Preface ............................................................................................................................................ 5 List of figures ............................................................................................................................... 12 List of abbreviations.................................................................................................................... 13 Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 17 1 History of Romania and the Romanians ................................................................................ 19 1.1 Earliest roots: Daco-Romans.................................................................................................................. 19 1.2 The Middle Ages and the rise of the Great Empires............................................................................... 19 1.3 The First World War and the formation of Greater Romania................................................................. 21 1.4 The interwar period and the Second World War .................................................................................... 22 1.5 Communism: 1944 – 1965 Gheorghiu-Dej’s rule .................................................................................. 23 1.6 Communism: 1965-1989 Ceausescu’s rule ............................................................................................ 26 2. Romanian national identity .................................................................................................... 31 2.1 Before communism ................................................................................................................................31 2.2 From communism to the European Union.............................................................................................. 32 2.3 Religion and folklore.............................................................................................................................. 32 2.4 Perception of Romania abroad ............................................................................................................... 34 2.5 National Minorities................................................................................................................................. 35 2.5.1 The legal and institutional framework as regards minorities............................................................... 36 2.5.2 Hungarians........................................................................................................................................... 36 2.5.3 Roma ..................................................................................................................................................