European Institute of

CONFERENCE

European Union and its Neighbourhood Annual Conference of the European Institute of Romania and the Fourth Edition of EIR Excellence Awards

12 December 2013,

Contents

Welcome address 5

Agenda 7

Speakers 9

Background document 17

EIR Excellence Awards 19

Promo EIR Newsletter Promo Romanian Journal of European Affairs Notes Partners

Welcome address

Thank you for being with us at the European Union and its Neighbourhood conference, organized by the European Institute of Romania (EIR) in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA).

The first session of the event will touch upon subjects such as: the recent Summit of Eastern Partnership in Vilnius, its consequences in the context of political and economic evolutions of the Eastern partners, the future of this EU cooperation initiative, possible roadmaps for the Republic of Moldova and following the initialling of the Association Agreements, visa liberalisation in the region, steps to take in preparing the future Summit in 2015. The second session of the conference will focus on the role of regional cooperation in promoting stability, security and economic prosperity, as well as European values in the Western . Considering the emphasis of EU’s enlargement strategy on good neighbourhood relations as an essential element of the Stabilisation and Association Process, a current subject is represented by the Romanian Presidency of the South-East Cooperation Process (SEECP) and the coordination of its working agenda with the rotating Presidency of the EU Council.

The debates will be followed by the granting of the EIR Excellence Awards, the fourth edition of this event being dedicated to distinguished personalities within the field of European affairs. Therefore, we are most honoured to grant the EIR Excellence Award for promoting the European spirit and values to: Ms. Natalia Gherman, Vice-Prime-Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, Republic of Moldova; Mr. Leonard Orban, former European Commissioner and Minister of European Affairs and to Mr. Vasile Puşcaş, University Professor, Babeş-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, former Minister-Delegate and Chief Negotiator with the European Union.

Our appreciation goes not only to the nominated personalities, but also to all those who have contributed or continue to contribute, through their activity, to Romania’s process of European integration, as well as to a better understanding and dissemination of the European reality within the Romanian society.

Professor Gabriela Drăgan, PhD Director General of the European Institute of Romania

Agenda

CONFERENCE

European Union and its Neighbourhood

Annual Conference of the European Institute of Romania and the Fourth Edition of EIR Excellence Awards

Bucharest, 12 December 2013 Hotel Intercontinental, Fortuna Hall (21st floor)

− Agenda −

9:00 — 9:30 Registration of participants

9:30 — 10:15 Opening session:

Gheorghe Magheru, Ambassador, Political Director, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Luminița Odobescu, State Counsellor, Government of Romania The message of the President of the Chamber of Deputies, Mr. Valeriu Zgonea Ana Birchall, Deputy, Secretary of the Committee for European Affairs, Chamber of Deputies, Romanian Parliament Leonard Orban, former European Commissioner and Minister of European Affairs

Moderator: Gabriela Drăgan, PhD, Professor, Director General of the European Institute of Romania

10:15 — 10:30 Break

10:30 – 12:00 First session: Eastern Partnership: from Vilnius to Riga

Moderator: Agnes Nicolescu, Acting Head of the Studies and Analyses Unit, European Institute of Romania

Speeches: Iulia Matei, Deputy Director general, EU Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Mihnea Constantinescu, Ambassador-at-Large, Ministry of Foreign Affairs E.S. Marek Szczygieł, Ambassador of the Republic of in Romania Carlos Puente Martin, PhD, Professor, Member of Team Europe (Spain), European Commission Oana Popescu, Director, Global Focus Center Anita Sobják, Analyst, Polish Institute of International Affairs, Warsaw

Remarks, comments, debates 7 Agenda

12:00 — 12:15 Coffee break

12:15 — 13:45 Session II: The role of regional cooperation in promoting European values in Western Balkans; Romanian Chairmanship-in-Office of SEECP

Moderator: Ovidiu Nahoi, Journalist, Money TV

Speeches: Iulian Fota, Presidential Advisor, Presidential Administration Gheorghe Magheru, Ambassador, Political Director, Ministry of Foreign Affairs E.S. Grigorios Vassiloconstandakis, Ambassador of the Hellenic Republic in Romania Vasile Puşcaş, PhD, Professor, Babeş-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca Liviu Mureşan, Executive President, Eurisc Foundation Dariusz Kalan, Analyst, Polish Institute of International Affairs, Warsaw

Remarks, comments, debates

13:45 — 14:30 EIR Excellence Awards, the fourth edition, 2013 for promoting the European spirit and values

Speeches: Gabriela Drăgan, PhD, Professor, Director General of the European Institute of Romania

Excellence Awards: Natalia Gherman, Vice Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, Republic of Moldova represented by H.E. Iurie Reniţă, Ambassador of the Republic of Moldova in Romania Leonard Orban, former European Commissioner and Minister of European Affairs Vasile Puşcaş, PhD, Professor, Babeş-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca

8 Speakers

Ana Birchall

Licensed in Juridical Sciences, Ana Birchall is a deputy, secretary of the European Affairs Committee of the Chamber of Deputies, in the Romanian Parliament.

Having graduated with magna cum laude a Master’s course in Law (L.L.M.) within the Yale Law School, Yale University USA, Mrs. Birchall also gained a doctoral degree in Law at the same university, with the thesis “Bankruptcy Law Applied to Banking Systems in Central and Eastern Europe countries”- a comparative analysis of Bankruptcy legislation in the US, UK, , , Romania, , Poland and the banking system.

Between June and December 2012, H.E. acted as Advisor to the Prime Minister, in the Romanian Government. Before that, she was a lawyer (Of Counsel) at Muşat and Associates- Restructuring & Insolvency, White & Case LLP Bucharest.

Between 2005 - November 2006 she was an Advisor with the Foreign Policy Commission, in the Romanian Senate, and between 2003 and 2004 she acted as Advisor to the Minister of Foreign Relations.

As for the academic career, Mrs. Birchall is a university lecturer at “Dimitrie Cantemir” and at the “Ovidiu” University of Constanţa (2011-2012).

Mihnea Constantinescu

Mihnea Constantinescu is Ambassador at Large, Special representative for Energy Security. Previously, he served for different Governments as Director of the Prime Minister’s Office, State Counsellor or Diplomatic Counsellor to the Prime Minister, State Secretary and General Director for political affairs in the MFA. In 2001 he acted as Personal Representative of the CiO-OSCE for South Eastern Europe during Romanian Chairmanship and in 2003 he was the Romanian representative to the Provisional Authority in Baghdad and advisor to the Iraqi MFA. Before joining the diplomatic service he was a faculty member at UPB in Nuclear Power Engineering and obtained the doctorate in this field.

9 Speakers

Gabriela Drăgan

Gabriela Drăgan is Director General of the European Institute of Romania, dean of the Faculty of European Economic Studies within Romanian-American University and university professor at the Faculty of International Business and Economics, Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies.

Mrs. Drăgan is also a Jean Monnet professor and an expert in European Integration. She has published, as author or co-author, a significant number of books and articles (indexed in international databases, published in scientific volumes or conference proceedings), she is a member of the Romanian Association for European Integration Studies, the European Regional Studies Association (ERSA), the Romanian Association of Regional Studies, and, as of January 2008, Director of the Romanian Journal of European Affairs, edited by the European Institute of Romania, member of the Editorial Board of the Romanian Economic Journal – Faculty of International Business and Economics, member of the Editorial Board of the Bulletin of the Petroleum-Gas University of Ploieşti, Economic Studies Series etc.

H.E. has participated as a speaker or moderator in many national and international debates, workshops, conferences (organized by the Romanian Academy, Vienna University, Institute for World Economics - Budapest, European Institute of Japan, Kobe and Tokyo, Centre for Security Cooperation in Croatia, European Forum Wachau - , Hebrew University – Tel Aviv, Economic Forum Krynica, Republic of Poland etc).

In November 2013, Mrs. Drăgan received the high-rank decoration the Knight’s Cross of the Order for Merit of the Republic of Poland, conferred by the President of the Republic of Poland, in recognition of her contribution to promoting Polish-Romanian cooperation in European affairs.

Iulian Fota

Holding a Phd in Political Science, Iulian Fota is Presidential Advisor and the Head of the National Security Department within the Presidential Administration. In the past, H.E. held key positions such as: Director of the National Defense College, Ministry Advisor in the Euro-Atlantic Integration and Defense Policy Department, Head of the “Defense” Section for Romania’s Mission to NATO and WEU (Brussels, ), Assistant to the State Secretary for European Integration and Defense Policy. Between 1994 and 1997, His Excellency was a Parliamentary expert at PNŢCD and, between 2004 and 2010, he was a member of the expert group “TEAM EUROPE”.

Furthermore, between 2007 and 2008, he was a member of the Balkan Task Force and, from 2006 to 2009, he served as a co-director for a project within the “Science for Peace” – NATO Programme.

10 Speakers

Dariusz Kałan

Dariusz Kałan is a research fellow and Central Europe analyst at the Polish Institute of International Affairs (PISM). He graduated from the University of Warsaw and was a visiting Balassi Institute scholar at the Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) in Budapest.

He published numerous articles, interviews and analyses in different journals, national newspapers and magazines, including “Prospect” (UK), “Népszabadság” (Hungary), “EsGlobal” (Spain), “Pravda” () and “Gazeta Wyborcza” (Poland). His research focuses on the domestic and foreign policy of the Visegrad countries, as well as on the geopolitical, economic and energy potential of Central Europe.

Gheorghe Magheru

Graduate of the Faculty of Germanic Languages, University of Bucharest, Gheorghe Magheru is Political Director, Advisor at the Cabinet of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Governor of Romania at the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF). In 2003, His Excellency received the diplomatic rank of Plenipotentiary Minister. In the past, H.E. has held positions such as Secretary 3 and Secretary 2 at the Romanian Embassy in Beijing (1990- 1993), Director at NATO, WEU and the Council of Europe (1994-1995), General Director for Asia-Pacific, Africa, and Latin America, Director for the relations with Central and South –Eastern European states and Regional Cooperation (2000), Permanent Representative of Romania at the Council of Europe. He completed several training courses organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Swiss Confederation (on Human Rights) and the Council of Europe, Strasbourg. In 2000, he received the Order of Merit in the rank of Commander and in 2006 he was awarded the Order of Diplomatic Merit in the rank of Officer.

11 Speakers

Iulia Matei

Iulia Matei is Deputy Director General, European Union Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs. A career diplomat, she joined the MFA in 2003. With a solid background in EU affairs – MA in European Studies at the Institut d’Etudes Européennes de l’Université Libre de Bruxelles – she worked on various EU related issues in the EU Department of the MFA. Between 2007 and 2012, Mrs. Matei was Head of the European Parliament Section at the Romanian Permanent Representation to the EU.

Liviu Mureşan

Liviu Mureşan is, since 1995, the founder and Executive President of EURISC Foundation - the European Institute for Risk, Security and Communication Management. He is the Executive President of both the Romanian Association for Critical Infrastructure Protection (ARPIC) and EURODEFENCE Romania.

Member in the Scientific Advisory Board of the European Institute of Romania, he held several positions in governmental structures as Advisor to the Prime-Minister and to the Minister of Internal Affairs. Dr. Mureşan is the Founder of the Regional Centre for Combating Trans-border Crime (SECI Centre) and he has also been the High Representative of the Romanian Government in the Initiative against Corruption and Organised Crime in the Stability Pact. He was a Member of the Romanian Parliament and leader of the Majority (1990-1992), and the first civilian director of the National Defence College. Since 2007, he is a member of the Research and Innovation Forum for European Security (ESRIF/Bruxelles), in addition to being involved in drafting the European Global Strategy (EGS).

Dr. Liviu Mureşan graduated the Academy of Economic Studies in Bucharest, where he has also received his PhD in Economics, and where he activates as Associate Professor.

12 Speakers

Ovidiu Nahoi

Ovidiu Nahoi (born in 1966) is one of the most important Romanian journalists. After a period of working for Uniplus, the first independent Romanian radio station (Uniplus), he continued his activity as a reporter, documentary film producer and political analyst for theMediafax press agency and then for the Evenimentul Zilei. Mr. Nahoi was deputy editor-in-chief of Adevărul and, at present, he is journalist at Money TV and Dilema Veche.

Agnes Nicolescu

Agnes Nicolescu is acting Head of the Studies and Analyses Unit in the European Institute of Romania. A graduate of the Faculty of Political and Administrative Sciences – University of Bucharest, she subsequently specialized in International Relations (at the University of Bucharest and Roma Tre “La Sapienza”).

She published scientific articles and op-eds in several national and international journals and publication series (Romanian Journal of European Affairs, Italian Institute of International Affairs Documents series, Europe’s World), on topics including: the European Neighbourhood Policy, the Common Security and Defense Policy and institutional and political elements of European integration.

13 Speakers

Luminiţa Teodora Odobescu

A career diplomat, holding a PhD in International Economic Relations, Luminiţa Teodora Odobescu was appointed State Counsellor for European Affairs at the Prime Minister’s Chancellery on November 8, 2012. Since February 24, 2012 until November 2012, she was Secretary of State within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Between June 2008 and February 2012 she was Director General of the European Union Department within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, coordinating the EU affairs and the bilateral political dialogue with the EU Member States, the acceding states to the EU (including ), as well as the EFTA countries.

Between 2002 and 2007 Her Excellency held various positions in the Permanent Representation of Romania to the European Union in Brussels, being responsible for several chapters of negotiation in the context of Romania’s accession to the EU. Following the signing of Romania’s Accession Treaty to the EU, Mrs. Odobescu took responsibility for coordinating and preparing the meetings of EU’s Committee of Deputy Permanent Representatives (COREPER I), while also taking part into several working groups of the EU Council and the European Commission.

In April 2007 she was conferred the “Order of Diplomatic Merit in the rank of Officer” for her contribution to the process of Romania’s accession to the European Union.

Oana Popescu

Oana Popescu is a political analyst and business consultant, Director of Global Focus foreign policy platform and Senior Editor of Foreign Policy Romania. Ms. Popescu was the foreign policy advisor of Mr. Mircea Geoană, former President of the Romanian Senate, programme director in Aspen Institute Romania and previously she was a journalist.

Graduated in international relations, former Fulbright scholar at Yale University (USA), Ms. Popescu’s areas of expertise are: democratisation, transition, post-conflict reconstruction and strategic analysis.

14 Speakers

Carlos Puente

Doctorate Degree in Economics, Master’s Degree in Law and Master’s Degree in Political Science, Universidad Complutense, Madrid; Master’s in European Law, U.L.B., Brussels; Diploma ‘European Communities’: Diplomatic School, Madrid.

Businessman: Import-export, Madrid – Manila; Commercial Manager and Futures Market Trader: Group of Cargill Inc.; Financial & HR Manager: SADE International Public Works, Madrid (Spain), Baghdad (Iraq). Practising Lawyer.

Professor, Faculty of Law: Courses in Economics for Lawyers; Professor, Faculty of Economic Sciences & Business Administration: Universidad Complutense, Madrid: Courses in World Economic Organizations; Professor of Post- Graduated Studies: Courses in ‘Geopolitics of the International Economic Relations’.

Government Official, Directorate General of Commercial Policy, Ministry of Commerce; Commercial Attaché, Spanish Embassy, Moscow, Russia; Director, Small and Medium Enterprises, IMPI, Ministry of Industry; European Commission: Desk Officer responsible for Commercial, Economic and Political Relations with Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria and Hungary; Desk Officer responsible for Relations with Eastern Europe, PHARE and TACIS.

Programs Senior Visiting Professor; Member, TEAM EUROPE Lecturer group, European Commission; Radio and television Expert Speaker and Panelist, Newspaper Columnist.

Anita Sobják

Anita Sobják is a researcher at the Polish Institute of International Affairs, a leading Warsaw-based think tank on international relations. Her research focuses on Central Europe (particularly the Visegrad Group cooperation), the Eastern Partnership and the domestic and foreign policies of Romania and the Republic of Moldova. Earlier she dealt with regional cooperation in the Assembly of European Regions in Strasbourg. She obtained an M.A. from the Jagiellonian University in Cracow, Poland and previously pursued her studies at the Babes-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca, Romania and at the Radboud University, Nijmegen in the .

15 Speakers

Marek Szczygieł

H.E. Ambassador Marek Szczygieł was born in 1969 in Poland. After graduating Law and International Relations, he began his career in the Foreign Service as a desk-officer for Romania and Bulgaria in the European Affairs Department of the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As a career diplomat, he worked, in the period 1995 – 2000, at the Polish Embassy in Stockholm.

Later he specialized in security policy and held twice the post of Deputy Director in the Security Policy Department, MFA, being in charge of regional security (2002-2004) and non-proliferation, disarmament and export control issues (2008-2011), as well as the position of Deputy Head of the Polish Mission to the OSCE and UN Office in Vienna (2004-2008). In the past he used to head the Interagency Coordinating Committee on Combating Proliferation of WMD. He was also a lecturer at the Diplomatic Academy in Warsaw.

Since June 2011, he has been accredited as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Poland in Romania.

Grigorios Vassiloconstandakis

H.E. Grigorios Vassiloconstandakis is the Ambassador of the Hellenic Republic in Romania.

Born in , he graduated in 1984 the Faculty of Law, Athens University, and in May 2001 the Harvard University, JFK School of Government - Mid- career Seminar on Civil-Military Cooperation and Conflict Resolution.

Career diplomat since 1986, when he joined the Diplomatic Service as Attaché, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Athens.

In the period 2008-2010 he was Consul General in Cairo, Egypt. Between 2010 and 2012 H.E. was Deputy Director of the Directorate for the Arab World and the Middle East, MFA. He served as a diplomat in Pristina, Paris, Istanbul. Since 2012, he has been nominated Minister Plenipotentiary.

He received the decorations: Officier de l’Ordre National du Merite (France), Commander of the Saint Mark Cross (Order of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria), Commander of the Saint Catherine Cross (Order of the Monastery of Saint Catherine at Sinai)

16 Background

European Union and its Neighbourhood

I. The Eastern Partnership: from Vilnius to Riga

The Eastern Partnership Summit was held this year in Vilnius, focusing on three dimensions: the signing and initialling of the Association Agreements with the EU’s Eastern partners: , Republic of Moldova, Georgia and , in view of a future shaping up of their relations; the negotiation of a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement aiming to extend the acquis communautaire to include the Eastern partners in the European transformation process; and an assessment of the mobility dimension, so as to simplify, in time, procedures for targeted countries.

In Vilnius, EU Association Agreements including a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area were initialled with the Republic of Moldova and Georgia, and other important cooperation agreements were signed, such as: a framework Agreement with Georgia on participation in EU crisis management operations; a visa facilitation Agreement with Azerbaijan and a civil aviation Agreement with Ukraine. Notable progress was achieved by some of the partner states (Georgia, Republic of Moldova and Ukraine) since the previous summit in Warsaw 2011.

EU representatives also took note of the Ukrainian Government’s decision to suspend the process of preparation for signature of the Association Agreement and DCFTA. The President of the European Council declared during the press conference that the EU was still open for ratification of the agreements, if Ukraine were willing to initial the agreements and if the benchmarks set out were fulfilled1. EU leaders also took note of the public support of the Ukrainian people for the political association and economic integration with the EU, in the context of the intensified pressure by the Russian Federation against the administration in Kyiv. At the same time, European leaders present at the reunion expressed their opposition against any third party involvement in the negotiations process between Brussels and the Eastern partners. It remains to be seen whether actions will match these statements.

As for the next summit in 2015, visa liberalisation remains a top priority as this is a core dimension of the Eastern Partnership. In relation to the Republic of Moldova major steps have been taken in this direction, as on November 27 a proposal was made to waive the visa obligation for Moldovan citizens that own a biometric passport. With Azerbaijan’s signature at the summit, there are now five countries that have or will soon have a visa facilitation agreement with the EU.

II. The role of regional cooperation in promoting European values ​​in the Western Balkans; Romanian Chairmanship-in-Office of SEECP

Regional cooperation in the Western Balkans is an important factor in promoting stability, security and economic prosperity. It is both a prerequisite and a tool for European and Euro-Atlantic integration. That is because, more than in other regions, cooperation provides a way for overcoming ethnic tensions and grievances that remained after the dissolution of former Yugoslavia, constituting a necessary preparation for a future EU and NATO membership. According to its internal principles and previous commitments, the European Union supports peace and harmony in the region. In a first stage, this was materialized through the establishment of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe, and then by means of support on the road to EU membership. The Regional Cooperation Council that followed the Stability Pact is further supported by the EU.

1 http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_Data/docs/pressdata/en/ec/139764.pdf

17 Background

EU political support for regional cooperation is financially backed by the Instrument for Pre-Accession (IPA) Multi - beneficiary (regional), with a value of € 521 million for 2011-20132. Other funds are also provided under the national IPA cross border cooperation. The results can be found in the individual progress made ​​by Western Balkans countries, including Croatia’s recent accession to EU. The development of regional ties in trade, infrastructure and culture marks as well an improvement of the joint perspectives. EU Enlargement Strategy sees good neighbourly relations as essential elements of the Stabilization and Association Process. According to the strategy, “regional cooperation underpins and enhances reconciliation in a region that suffered major conflicts in the recent past”. Member States have initiated the South East Europe Cooperation Process (SEECP) in order to create an atmosphere of trust, good neighbourly relations and stability. It is an authentic expression of the regional initiative by states in South Eastern Europe, completing the cooperation defined by the Stability Pact, the South East European Cooperative Initiative and the Stabilization and Association Process. Romania holds the SEECP Chairmanship-in-Office 2013-2014. Therefore, Romania organizes political and sectoral meetings, promoting dialogue and cooperation in the region according to principles of the SEECP Charter. The agenda and meeting objectives are oriented accordingly. They feature, on the one hand, both key areas for the region and areas of common interest to SEECP participants. The aim is to synchronize regional cooperation process with the European and Euro-Atlantic preparation process, while producing tangible results for participating states and benefits for the entire region. On the other hand, the Romanian SEECP Presidency coordinates its agenda with those of the representatives of the rotating Presidency of the EU Council, taking into account the Europe 2020 Strategy, as well as the South Eastern Europe 2020 Strategy. In this way consistency and continuity of cooperation are supported, preparing the future SEECP Chairmanship.

Studies and Analyses Unit, EIR

2 http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/pdf/mipd_multibeneficiary_2011_2013_en.pdf

18 EIR Excellence Awards

Natalia Gherman

Natalia Gherman is currently one of the most important political figures of the Republic of Moldova. Her vast diplomatic activity and her successful representation of the state in the negotiations for preparing the Association Agreement with the EU, in the discussions on the visa regime liberalisation and the dialogue held with her European counterparts for setting up a free-trade area with the EU recommend her as a key-actor in the shaping of a European future for the Republic of Moldova. Born on 20 March 1969, in Chişinău, Natalia Gherman obtained, in 1991, a Bachelor’s Degree in English and German Philology at the State University of the Republic of Moldova, and in 1998 she got a Master’s Degree in the field of security at the prestigious King’s College, London University. Her Excellency has gained a considerable amount of experience in the field of diplomacy, serving within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Moldova since 1991 and holding various positions both in the central administration and in diplomatic missions. Thus, we must recall that, in the period 2002-2004, she was Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Moldova in the Republic of Austria, Permanent Representative to the OSCE and other international organizations located in Vienna. Her diplomatic skills and good coordination of the diplomatic mission in Vienna were acknowledged and consolidated by her appointment as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Moldova in the Kingdom of Sweden, in the period 2006-2009, being also responsible for bilateral relations with Finland and Norway. As a result of the recognition of her personal contribution in promoting European values and of her diplomatic and negotiation skills, Natalia Gherman is appointed Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration in 2009. The work achieved by Her Excellency while holding this office, in the period 2009- 2013, has substantially contributed to the strengthening and deepening of the relations between Chişinău and Bucharest and to the engagement undertaken by the Republic of Moldova to carry out the process of accession to the European Union. As proof for her professionalism and perseverance in promoting European values in the civil society and the political environment, but also for the victories achieved in the process of deepening the Moldovan-Swedish bilateral relations, Her Excellency has received the “Polar Star” Royal Order in the grade of First Class Commander of the Kingdom of Sweden.. A role model for future aspirants to a diplomatic career, a strong feminine personality, Her Excellency was appointed in 2013 Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration and Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova, functions which are exercised successfully, with much responsibility, but also with high personal commitment.

19 EIR Excellence Awards

Leonard Orban

Leonard Orban is one of the key players in Romania’s European integration. Having a 20 years experience in European Affairs, he has contributed to Romania’s course in the European Union through his activity in domestic as well as European institutions.

Mr. Orban was born in 1961 in Braşov County and graduated from the Faculty of Mechanics, the University of Braşov, in 1986. Up to 1993 he performed technical activities in enterprises and research institutes.

The turning point in Mr. Orban’s career was graduating, in 1992, the Faculty of Management of the Academy of Economic Studies. From 1993 onwards, he focused on European affairs, working until 2001 as Parliamentary Advisor for European and International Affairs at the Romanian Parliament – Chamber of Deputies, and also as Technical Secretary of the Mixt Parliamentary Committee European Union – Romania and of the Delegations of the Romanian Parliament at the European Parliament and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation.

Between 2001 and 2004, Leonard Orban was Romania’s deputy Chief Negotiator with the European Union within the Ministry of European Integration. Subsequently, from December 2004 to April 2005, while the Accession Treaty was being drawn up, Mr. Orban was Chief Negotiator. In these positions, he had a significant contribution to the process of accession to the EU and to setting the country on a route to modernization and to social and economic progress. One of his most important achievements, as he stated himself, was the signing, as chief negotiator with the EU, together with the , the Prime-Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, of the Treaty of Accession of Romania to the European Union, 25 April 2005, during a ceremony in Luxemburg.

Due to his professionalism and truly European spirit, Leonard Orban became the first Romanian European Commissioner in the history of the European Union, in charge of Multilingualism. Upon returning to Romania in March 2010, he became Presidential Advisor on European matters, which enabled his expertise in the European institutions to be further used and between September 2011 and December 2012 he was Minister of European Affairs in Romania’s Government. Mr. Orban is at present Associate Professor at the Romanian- American University in Bucharest and partner in the company Orban Biriş European Consultants, a consultancy specialized in European affairs and European funds.

One of the key specialists in the accession process, Leonard Orban published numerous articles on this subject and was rewarded for his activity with the National Order “The Star of Romania” in grade of Knight in 2002.

His negotiator skills, professional experience, capacity of promoting the spirit and values of democracy, along with his achievements have lead to the recognition of Mr. Leonard Orban’s professionalism.

20 EIR Excellence Awards

Vasile Puşcaş

Vasile Puşcaş is one of the personalities who made possible Romania’s accession to the European Union. He is recommended by his academic, research and political experience as a specialist in the European affairs, constantly preoccupied to understand the European mechanisms at the level of the civil society and at that of public institutions.

Born in 1952, at Surduc, Sălaj county, Vasile Puşcaş has a B.A. in History and Social Sciences from the History and Philosophy Faculty of “Babes-Bolyai” University in Cluj-Napoca. Since 1991, he has a PhD in History from the same University. Soon after graduating from the faculty, he began a prolific publishing activity. Today, he is a member in the scientific and editorial boards of many specialised publications, which reflects his concern for Romania’s development in the European historical context. After the 1989 Revolution, his academic work was not restricted to the academic environment. Mr. Puşcaş was appointed Director of the Romanian Cultural Centre of New-York (1991-1992 and, subsequently, Minister Counsellor and Charge d’Affaires at the Embassy of Romania in Washington (1992-1994). In the same period, he negotiated and signed the bilateral agreements with the World Bank as well as the most-favoured- nation clause for Romania in commercial and investment agreements with the United States of America.

Between 2000 and 2008, Vasile Puşcaş was a Member of the Romanian Parliament in the Foreign Policy Committee, European Affairs Committee, European Integration Committee and Culture and Audiovisual Committee. In addition, he was the President of the Parliamentary Friendship Groups for Denmark, Netherlands and Azerbaijan and in 2007 he was Member of the European Parliament.

Probably the most important activity of Mr. Puşcaş in pursuing Romania’s European goal was his work as Minister-Delegate and Chief Negotiator with the European Union (December 2000-December 2004). His negotiation skills, his professionalism and diplomatic abilities have helped Romania to successfully overcome the challenges of this period and to become a full fledged EU member state in 2007.

Between December 2008 and October 2009, Mr. Puşcaş was Minister, Chief of European Affairs Department in Romania’s Government and starting with 2012 he is the Director of the Cultural Diplomacy and Global Economy Department in the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy of Berlin.

Vasile Puşcaş received many awards for his contribution in the process of Romanian’s accession to the EU, both as Chief Negotiator and as researcher: “Mihail Kogălniceanu” Award of the Romanian Academy in 2009, Romanian Academy’s Diploma of Excellence in 2010, the Excellency Trophy “10 for Romania” in the Diplomacy category, in 2010, among others. His merits were acknowledged with the granting, in 2002, of the Medal of Honour “The Star of Romania”, rank of Knight.

Author or co-author of numerous volumes, member of various associations for promoting the European spirit and values, researcher in the field of International Relations and European Integration, Vasile Puşcaş is continuing at present his academic work at “Babes-Bolyai” University in Cluj-Napoca, actively contributing to developing the European identity among the students. His qualities and abilities are helping to shape a new generation which will lead Romania towards deeper integration.

21

Year V, no. 59 — November 2013

Gabriela Drăgan, Director General of the EIR, in this issue Receives Distinction from the President of the Republic of Poland The high-rank decoration, the Knight’s Cross of the Order for Merit of the “Pushing the Turbo Button: Republic of Poland, was conferred by 3 the President of the Republic of Poland What Next for the Polish-Romanian in recognition of the contribution Strategic Partnership?” of Mrs. Gabriela Drăgan, Director General of the European Institute of Romania, to promoting Polish- 4 Romanian Journal of European Romanian cooperation in European Affairs – Winter Issue 2013 affairs.

Mrs. Drăgan’s scientific career and professional activity, as well as the 5 Ethics and Institutional Integrity establishment of cooperation and institutional partnership relations with think- tanks in Poland (the Polish Institute of International Affairs and the Institute for - A new EIR training course - Eastern Studies) recommend her as one of the best ambassadors for the idea of European integration and Polish-Romanian bilateral cooperation. 6 Themed Seminar Quelles politiques The decoration was awarded by H.E. Marek Szczygieł, Ambassador of the sociales en Europe? Republic of Poland to Romania, during a ceremony held at the Embassy of the [What social policies in Europe?] Republic of Poland on 18 November 2013.

The event was attended by Mr. Iulian Fota, Presidential Counsellor, Mr. Leonard 9 EU Economic Forecast – Autumn Orban, former European Commissioner and Minister of European Affairs, Mr. 2013 Sergiu Celac, Ambassador, Mr. Matthias Jobelius, representative to Romania and the Republic of Moldova of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, Mrs. Elena Ştefoi, Ambassador – Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mrs. Alina Bârgăoanu, Rector of the National School of Political Studies and Public Administration, Mr. Ovidiu Folcuţ, Rector of the Romanian-American University, representatives of the academic and research environment, as well as experts from the European Institute of Romania. interview Marcin Zaborowski Director of the Polish Institute of International Affairs Given your academic expertise, how would you describe the main challenges that EU faces today, in a global crisis environment?

I am not sure about my ability to provide academic expertise since I represent merely the world of think tanks that focuses on policy analysis and does not aspire to academic excellence. But from this narrower point of view I see three main challenges for the EU. The first challenge is for the Eurozone to regain the credibility of the markets. This will require a combination of more conservative budgetary policies, especially in the nations of the South, and matching the single currency with genuine integration of economic policies. If successful, these policies will result in a healthier Eurozone and, by extension, of the entire EU; but they may create a second challenge [...]

For the full text of the articles please access: www.ier.ro interview

“One of the main challenges for the EU is for the Eurozone to regain the credibility of the markets.”

... The second challenge for the EU is to avoid the deepening states. Poland’s regional focus is on its Eastern neighbourhood, of its internal divisions as the integration of the Eurozone hence its active role in drawing Ukraine and Moldova closer to advances. The emergence of the multi-speed EU, with the EU. Perhaps one of the most interesting features of Polish the Eurozone setting up its own budget and even its own foreign policy in the last few years is its evolving relationship institutions is a real possibility that is unwelcome from the with Russia, which is based on the recognition that, whilst point of view of the states left outside the inner circle of some strategic differences remain (energy, neighbourhood), integration, including Romania and Poland. a mutually beneficial co-operation is possible. Hence Warsaw dropped its objection to Russia’s membership of OECD and The third challenge, in no small part caused by the crisis, WTO and it has advocated visa-free travel for the Russians. is the growth of the insular, introvert sentiment in the EU. The introduction of local border movement for the entire This results in a stalemate in the enlargement process and the Kaliningrad area and the adjacent area on the Polish side of growth of anti-immigrant attitudes. One of the side effects the frontier has been an economic and social success. of these attitudes is the continuing objection within many EU member states to the inclusion of Romania in the Schengen It is a known fact that Poland has been one of the strongest zone. supporters of the Eastern Partnership initiative. Which are, in your opinion, the strong and weak points in the As an active member of the Euro-Atlantic structures, Poland development of this initiative? Could it actually become a is already perceived as a state that “makes a difference” real “waiting room” for possible new waves of enlargement? with distinctive foreign and security policies. Could you share with our readers the main priorities Poland has today The Eastern Partnership successfully achieved diversification in the foreign policy area? within the European Neighborhood Policy. A few years ago the EU approached Moldova and Morocco in the same manner. Like all other states that joined the EU and NATO after the end Now it is generally recognized that Moldova has European of communism, Poland is faced with the dilemma of redefining aspirations and that its future is in the EU. Yet, the greatest its priorities. Until recently we were preoccupied with joining weakness of the initiative is that it does not make a European the West. We still need to catch up, but by and large we are perspective clear for its participants, which has negative part of the West already. However, we have joined the Western implications in motivating these nations to pursue reforms. world at a time when its relative position was declining. The US is still the world’s largest economy, but it will be taken Related to the previous question, the third Eastern over by China in ten to fifteen years while the EU economies Partnership Summit in Vilnius will be held in late November are sluggish and those of the emerging markets (China, India, this year. Highest representatives of the EU institutions, 28 ) have been growing with no major interruptions since EU Member States and the six Eastern European partners are the beginning of the crisis. This results in the loss of US’s expected to take part in the EaP Vilnius Summit. Given the attention towards Europe, which happens at a time when the changes of positions and trends as regards the EU Eastern EU itself is having a tough time. neighbourhood, how would you estimate the outcome of this Summit? What should we realistically expect from it? All of this means that Poland has chosen to develop a foreign and security policy which is more self-reliant. There is a If the DCFTA and AA agreement with Ukraine is signed, it would considerable investment going into the modernization of our represent a big success of the summit and a firm anchoring armed forces worth more than 40 billion euro over the period of Kiev within the Western club. Initialling agreements of the next eight years. The purpose of this investment is to with Georgia and Moldova would also represent a major develop a credible deterrence. achievement, as would the further progress of visa facilitation agreements [...] In foreign policy, Warsaw’s key focus is on the EU and the ambition to secure a position for Poland as one of its leading

For the full text of the articles please access: www.ier.ro

The Newsletter of the European Institute of Romania is a bilingual monthly publication, aiming to promote the wide range of activities carried out by the Institute. The Newsletter’s subscribers may consult the EIR’s events calendar and other specific services and products: training courses, publications, analyses on European topics. The publication also hosts different points of view of experts and specialists on key issues of the European agenda.

For the full text of the articles and the subscription form please access: www.ier.ro For further details you may contact the editorial team at: [email protected]. Romanian Journal of European Affairs

The first Romanian publication to focus on the European integration debate and on Romania’s role in an enlarged EU

Price/issue: 7 EUR + postage Price/annual subscription (4 issues): 25 EUR + postage Contact: [email protected]

Romanian Journal of European Affairs (RJEA) is a publication edited by the European Institute of Romania since 2001. Currently issued on a quarterly basis, the journal is largely distributed both in Romania and in prestigious universities and research centers in Europe and USA.

The journal covers a wide range of topics, from top issues in EU (institutional building, economic and financial issues, internal market, energy, migration, security, neighbourhood policy etc.) to the effects of the European integration process on the new member states (with a particular focus on Romania) and to the investigation of EU’s relations with other global actors.

The recognition of the positive role of RJEA within the European studies area has also been confirmed by its admission in various international scientific databases, such as: ProQuest, EBSCO, SCOPUS, DOAJ, Index Copernicus, HeinOnline, Cabell’s Directory, ICAAP - International Consortium for the Advancement of Academic Publications, Gesis, Open J-Gate.

More details about RJEA’s editorial team and policy, as well as the journal’s publication terms are available at: http://rjea.ier.ro.

Requests for RJEA annual subscription, as well as for individual issues of the journal can be addressed to: [email protected].

Payment details (EUR): • Bank transfer: Raiffeisen Bank, Victoria Branch (21 Victoriei Avenue, district 3, Bucharest, Romania), Account number (IBAN no.): RO22RZBR0000060007063925, Swift Code: RZBRROBU

European Institute of Romania 7-9 Regina Elisabeta Blvd., RO - 030016, Bucharest, Romania, VAT registration no. 12178517 Notes Notes Notes Notes Notes

Media partners