Romania (România) and Bulgaria (Republika Bǎlgarija) Recent history Communist rule in Romania ended on Christmas Day 1989 with the execution of dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu. Earlier in the same year, Bulgaria’s Communist leader, Todor Zhivkov left office. The events triggered the beginnings of democratic reform and in 1991 both countries adopted new constitutions establishing democratic structures and a market economy. Romania changed its constitution again in 2003 in order to bring its law in line with EU standards. Nonetheless, both countries suffered from a slow pace of economic reform and continued political corruption in the aftermath of communism. Bulgaria in particular suffered severe economic difficulties during the 1990s, which saw 600,000 Bulgarians, many of them qualified professionals, leave the country. However, after applying for EU membership in 1995, it gradually stabilised, particularly between 2001-05, under the leadership of former Tsar Simeon II, Simeon Sakskobuggotski. By 2005, the EU was satisfied that both Romania and Bulgaria had embraced sufficient reform for their Accession Treaties to be ratified. Both countries became full members of the EU on 1 January 2007. Bulgaria: key facts How does a General Election actually work? Capital Sofia The UK is a liberal democracy. This means that we democratically elect politicians, who Population 7 million (2014) represent % of our total interests. EU population It also involves that1.4 individual% rights are protected. Official languages Bulgarian The type of liberal democracy we have is a constitutional monarchy, where the powers of Year of EU accession 2007 100 the monarch are limited by the terms and conditions put down in the constitution. Currency Bulgarian lev BGN 67 7.7% Schengen Area member No Seats in European Parliament 17 Current government Parliamentary system Romania and Bulgaria are both semi-presidential republics. In both countries, executive powers are shared between The UK has a parliamentary system of democratic governance. Unlike presidential and the President and the government, which is headed by the Prime Minister. The Presidents of Romania and Bulgaria are directly elected and serve as thesemi Head-presidential of State and systems, Comma therender is- inan-Chief interconnection of the armed between forces. However,the legislative they (lawcannot- initiate legislation, only returnmaking) laws proposed and executive by Parliament (law-enforcing) for reconsideration. branches of Ingovernment Bulgaria, the in aParliament parliamentary is unicameral and consists of 240system. deputies, In the elected UK, this every means four thatyears. the In executive Romania there(consisting are two of thechambers Queen –and the the Senate, which has 137 members, and thegovernments Chamber ofof Deputies,England, Scotland, which has Wales 332 members. and Northern Ireland) is accountable to the The current Bulgarian Presidentlegislature is Rosen orPlevneliev, Parliament who (House was elected of Commons, in October House 2011 of Lordsand took and office devolved in January Assemblies 2012. in The Prime Minister is Boiko Borisov, leader of the centre-right Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria party Wales and Northern Ireland). (GERB), which won the October 2014 general election. This election was called only about a year after the 2013 general election, which resulted in a weak coalition and a series of protests. Appointed Prime Minister (or chancellor) as Head of Government and a monarch (or Romania faced political turmoil in 2007 when President Traian Băsescu was accused of ‘violating the constitution’, but Romanians voted against impeachingceremonial him president)at a referendum as Head in ofMay State. 2007. Băsescu was re-elected in 2009 following a close presidential election. In November 2014, the current President Klaus Iohannis was elected. The Prime Minister, currently Victor Ponta, was appointed by the President following a vote of no confidence against his predecessor, Mihai Răzvan Ungureanu, in April 2012. Ungureanu’s cabinet had only been in place for two months before he lost the vote. Ponta, of the Social Democratic Party, remained in office following the December 2012 election in which his party won an absolute majority in both the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies. He currently leads his fourth cabinet in a coalition with the centre-left NationalFirst-Past Union-The for -thePost Progress of Romania, the centre-right Conservative Party and Liberal Reformist Party. Members of Parliament in the House of Commons are elected using the first-past-the- . post electoral system. Each of the 650 voting constituencies in the UK are represented by Romania : key facts an MP. During the general and most local elections, the candidate with most of the votes Capital Bucharest becomes the local representative. Candidates campaign door-to-door, hold debates and Population 20 million (2014) publish % manifestos of total EU population (comparable to shopping3.9 list% of what they are planning to do once they areOfficial in power). languages Eligible voters, about 46mRomanian in the UK, receive their polling card once they registerYear of online,EU accession or they can vote by post.2007 Currency Romanian Leu RON Party withSchengen most Area of the member votes is invited by theNo Queen to form a government. If there is no clear winner,Seats in thereEuropean is a hungParliament Parliament. In32 this case, a minority or coalition government can be formed. A minority government does not have an overall majority in Parliament. A © CIVITAS Institute for the Study of Civil Society 2015 EU Country Profiles More EU factsheets: http://www.civitas.org.uk/eufacts/index.phpcoalition government means that two or more political parties Author: agree James to Gubb, share 04/2007 power in Book EU events: http://www.civitas.org.uk/eufacts/EUevents.php Last update: Anna Sonny, 06/2015 government. If that does not work out, new elections may be called. Romania (România) and Bulgaria (Republika Bǎlgarija) Unemployment rate Public budget deficit/surplus GDP per capita in PPS (2015) 0 (2013) 100 -1 10.1% 9.8% 6.9% -2 EU 55 45 -3 B -4 R -5 B R EU -6 R B EU 2011 2012 2013 2014 Relations with the EU When the Commission reachedHow its final does decision a to General admit Romania Election and Bulgaria actually into the EU, work? it was tempered by concern that the countries hadThe not UK completed is a liberal necessary democracy. reforms. This means In fact, that the we Commission democratically has threatened elect politicians, to impose who penalties and withhold development funds unless both governments continue necessary reforms to their justice represent our interests. It also involves that individual rights are protected. systems, taxation and agriculture. High-level corruption also remains an issue of concern, exemplified by the 2007 debacle in Romania between President Tarieanu and PM Băsescu. In May 2008, EU representatives examined the The type of liberal democracy we have is a constitutional monarchy, where the powers of judicial systems of the two countries and as a result it suspended millions of euros worth of funding to Bulgaria until it the monarch are limited by the terms and conditions put down in the constitution. reduced its level of corruption. Romania’s Labour Minister was sacked for bribery in September 2008. Both countries tend to blame their continued problems on the legacy of communist-era governments and the disruption caused by the Balkan Wars of the 1990s. For example, in March 2009, Romania’s President, Traian Băsescu, said that the country’s ‘huge bureaucracy’ stopped EU funds from being used effectively. The EU’s main concern is that a failure to address shortcomings on the partParliamentary of Bulgaria or systemRomania will undermine the values that the EU itself is supposed to stand for. The UK has a parliamentary system of democratic governance. Unlike presidential and semi-presidential systems, there is an interconnection between the legislative (law- Facts and figures making) and executive (law-enforcing) branches of government in a parliamentary 40.4% of the Romanian populationsystem. In was the consideredUK, this means to be that at risk the ofexecutive poverty (consistingin 2013. This of isthe the Queen highest and figure the in the EU, where the average acrossgovernments all member of England,states is 24.5Scotland,% Wales and Northern Ireland) is accountable to the Both Romania and Bulgarialegislature have had or above Parliament average (House economic of Commons, growth since House 2007, of Lords the year and of devolved their accession Assemblies in Wales and Northern Ireland). Romanian exports (2015) AppointedRomanian Prime imports Minister (2015) (or chancellor)Bulgarian as exports Head of (2015) Government Bulgarian and a monarch imports (or (2015) ceremonial president) as Head of State. 25% 29% 37% 38% From EU To EU states From EU To EU states states states To non-EU From non- To non-EU From non- 62% states EU states states 63% EU states 71% First-Past-The-Post75% Members of Parliament in the House of Commons are elected using the first-past-the- post electoral system. Each of the 650 voting constituencies in the UK are represented by Technical Terms Accession Treaty: treaty endorsingan MP. finalDuring membership the general of the and European most Union. local elections,It does not comethe candidate into force on with the day most it is ofsigned the butvotes on a pre-arranged date. becomes the local representative. Candidates campaign door-to-door, hold debates and PPS: GDP per head is expressedpublish in Purchasing manifestos Power (comparable Standards (PPS) to toshopping eliminate list the ofdifferences what they in price are levels planning between to docountries once allowing meaningful volume comparisons of GDP between countries Links they are in power). Eligible voters, about 46m in the UK, receive their polling card once http://www.government.bg/fce/index.shtml?p=0023&s=001they register online, or they can vote by post. http://gov.ro/en/ http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat Party with most of the votes is invited by the Queen to form a government.