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Democracy in Romania

As Romania's foreign debt sharply increased between 1977 and 1981 (from US$3 billion to
$10 billion),1 the influence of international financial organizations (such as the IMF and
the World Bank) grew, gradually conflicting with Ceauescu's autocratic rule. The latter
eventually initiated a policy of total reimbursement of the foreign debt by imposing austerity
steps that impoverished the population and exhausted the economy. The process succeeded in
repaying all foreign government debt of Romania in 1989. At the same time, Ceau escu greatly
extended the authority of the Securitate secret police and imposed a severe cult of personality,
which led to a dramatic decrease in the dictator's popularity and culminated in his overthrow and
eventual execution, together with his wife, in the violent Romanian Revolution of December
1989 in which thousands were killed or injured. The charges for which they were executed were,
among others, genocide by starvation.

It turned out that the 1989 revolution was a necessity in order for Romania to become a
democracy. Even though there were several political figures of the communism left in different
and important positions, their power was highly diminished leading thus to a better life, to a
democratic regime. The Romanian Revolution of December 1989 opened the road for
Romanians to restore authentic pluralistic electoral democracy, respecting human rights, and
observing the separation of powers and the rulers' responsibility before representative bodies.
Thanks to the documents issued by the provisional revolutionary power, Romania has returned to
a bicameral parliamentary system. All these stipulations can be found in the country's
new Constitution, approved by referendum in 1991.

During more than a decade of post-communist transition, the Chamber of


Deputies and Senate debated and adopted numerous laws and regulations aimed at reforming the
entire society on a democratic basis, guaranteeing respect of fundamental human rights,
promoting reform and privatization, consolidating market economic institutions and those of a

1 Deletant, Dennis. "New Evidence on Romania and the Warsaw Pact, 19551989". Cold War
International History Project e-Dossier Series.
state ruled by law, which led to Romania's integration into such institutions at NATO and
the European Union.

Romania's political framework is a semi-presidential, representative democratic republic where


the prime minister is the head of government and the president is the head of state. Executive
power is exercised by the president of the republic and the government. Romania has a multi-
party system, with legislative power vested in the government and the two chambers of
parliament: the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. The judiciary is independent of the
executive and the legislature. Romania's 1991 constitution proclaims it a democratic and social
republic, deriving its sovereignty from the people. According to the constitution, "Human
dignity, civic rights and freedoms, the unhindered development of human personality, justice,
and political pluralism are supreme and guaranteed values."

The constitution provides for a President, a Parliament, a Constitutional Court and a separate
court system which includes the High Court of Cassation and Justice. The right to vote is granted
to all citizens over 18 years of age.

The Romanian Government undertakes and promotes democracy, capitalism and the European
values for the purpose of Romanias durable economic development, increasing the citizens
welfare and regaining national dignity.

The fundamental options that the Romanian Government share and promote are the following:
1. Consolidation of the rule of law and of democracy in Romania
2. Redefining of the state role through restraining its intervention in economy and
strengthening its functions as guarantor of legality
3.Strengthening the individual liberties, increase of citizen and family security
4.Guaranteeing and development of private property, integral restitution of properties
abusively confiscated by the Communist regime, equal treatment of property.
5. Instauration of functional market economy
6.Stimulation of the enterprising spirit
7.Social and economic cohesion, reduction of poverty and social exclusion
8.Equality of chances
9.Respect of the minorities rights
10.Romanias full integration within Euro- Atlantic economic and security structures

Since December 1989, Romanian Government has pursued a policy of strengthening relations
with the West in general, more specifically with the United States and the European Union albeit
with its limited relations with Russia. It joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
on 29 March 2004, the European Union (EU) on 1 January 2007, while it had joined
the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank in 1972, and is a founding member of
the World Trade Organization.2

The current government has stated its goal of strengthening ties with and helping other countries
(in particular Moldova, Ukraine and Georgia) with the process of integration with the rest of the
West. Romania has also made clear since the late 1990s that it supports NATO and EU
membership for the democratic former Soviet republics in Eastern Europe and
the Caucasus. Romania also declared its public support for Turkey, and Croatia joining the
European Union.3 Due to its Hungarian minority, Romania has also developed strong
relations with Hungary. Romania opted on 1 January 2007, to adhere the Schengen Area, and its
bid to join was approved by the European Parliament in June 2011, but was rejected by the EU
Council in September 2011.

In December 2005, President Traian Bsescu and United States Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice signed an agreement that would allow a U.S. military presence at several Romanian
facilities primarily in the eastern part of the country. In May 2009, Hillary Clinton, US Secretary
of State, declared that "Romania is one of the most trustworthy and respectable partners of the
USA."

Relations with Moldova are a special case, considering that the two countries share the same
language and a common history. A movement for unification of Romania and Moldova appeared

2 "Understanding the WTO members"

3 "Foreign Policy Priorities of Romania for 2008". Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
in the early 1990s after both countries achieved emancipation from communist rule, 4 but lost
ground in the mid-1990s when a new Moldovan government pursued an agenda towards
preserving a Moldovan republic independent of Romania. After the 2009 protests in
Moldova and subsequent removal of Communists from power, relations between the two
countries have improved considerably.

The Government approves the strategies, policies and public administration programs, these
being methods of accomplishing the goals stipulated in the Government Program, as well as
methods of satisfying the competences of the institution as a public authority within the
executive power, its role being that of ensuring the balanced functioning and development of the
national economic and social system, along with its connection to the global economic system
while promoting the national interests of Romania. In this way, we can see the Government
reactions to some of the international crisis of different countries. For example, Romania had
provided the Republic of Moldova free humanitarian aid. That humanitarian aid was worth about
16.700 millions of lei consisting of basic food like flour, sugar, colza, rice, pasta, canned meat,
canned meat, canned vegetables.

Another example is Romania granting emergency humanitarian aid to the Hashemite Kingdom
of Jordan, due to amplification of refugee crisis. In this respect, the Government approved a
decision that supplements the budget of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from the budgetary
reserve fund by 1 million lei.

Thus, Romania joins the states that answered Jordans appeals to the international community to
increase financial assistance dedicated to Syrian refugees. During discussions held during the
visit to Bucharest on 3 September 2015, by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and
Expatriate Affairs, Nasser Judeh, with Romanian officials, the Jordanian Minister outlined the
need to increase financial assistance.

By this measure, the Romanian Government implicitly supports local communities in Jordan that
host most of Syrian citizens who are in the Kingdom.
4 Gabriel Andreescu; Valentin Stan; Renate Weber (30 October 1994). "Romania'S Relations with the
Republic of Moldova". International Studies. Centre for International Studies. Archived from the original on
23 February 2008.
However, earmarking financial assistance to manage the situation of Syrian refugees
accommodated on the territory of Jordan, supports the European approach, strongly backed by
Romania, which aims at resolving at source, the causes of migration and is consistent with the
international communitys calls on supporting third states who received most refugees from
Syria.

In 2014-2016 Romania granted humanitarian assistance worth nearly 2 million euros to 12


countries at various stages of crises, including the conflicts in Syria and Iraq, the conflict in
eastern Ukraine, an earthquake in Nepal, flooding in Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina and the
Ebola virus outbreak, according to the Romanian Government.

As a member state of the European Union, Romania is also providing humanitarian aid through
its contributions to the European Budget.

Also, for the Romanians, the government had adopted different strategies, policies and programs
like The First Home program. Since the beginning of the First Home program and until August
27, 2013, there were issued in total over 99.600 guarantees for accessed financing worth about
EUR 3.871 million.

On August 7, .2013 the Government Decision 566 and on August 22, 2013 by Government
Decision 615, there has been allocated additional ceiling of 1.2 billion lei, of which 500 million
lei are intended for the purchase of housing built by National- Housing Agency (ANL ) .
Guarantees of this ceiling will be granted only for loans in national currency.

Another example is the new Package of Measures for developing the rural middle class adopted
in 21 March 2017. The visit in Ciugad started with a meeting with the local authorities regarding
the local administration, the way in which the European funds can be accessed and how can the
money be used in different projects and how can the money create new jobs.

In conclusion, even though we have a background surrounded by the communists, the will of the
people and of the government is working hardly to help our neighbors and our citizens, to
maintain order and to improve the social welfare and life. In other words, to become a real
democratic state like we should have been in the past.
Bibliography:

http://gov.ro/news/humanitarian-aid-to-be-granted-to-the-hashemite-kingdom-of-jordan-in-the-
refugee-crisis

https://www.agerpres.ro/english/2016/08/19/pm-ciolos-romania-stays-committed-to-principles-
underpinning-humanitarian-assistance-16-43-47

http://gov.ro/ro/stiri/programul-prima-casa-continua-in-2013-i-beneficiaza-de-norme-mai-simple

https://www.ndi.org/central-and-eastern-europe/romania

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