Romania: Soul Search, National and European Identity and Politics in a Time of Trouble
Despite almost ten years within the European Union, Romania’s accession is not yet complete. It is not part of the Schengen zone and has yet to enter the Eurozone (planned for 2019). Moreover, a core problem remains in the ownership of the necessary reforms to catch up with the rest of the EU and to reform the public authorities.
Romanian attitudes vis-à-vis the EU are consistently favourable but this is not sufficient evidence of an appreciation for the European Union as it reflects a distrust in national institutions. Nevertheless, more could be done in the national curricula at school to better promote the EU. A greater knowledge base in Romania would help the country reach its true potential within the EU.
Romania is a firm believer in further integration. It supports an EU energy policy, common foreign policy and a strengthened Eurozone. There is also a belief that the EU should better defend its achievements, such as the four freedoms, as it helps better legitimise the European Union in the eyes of citizens.
This publication is part of the "Building Bridges Paper Series". For more information about this project, click here.
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Romania: Soul Search, National and European Identity and Politics in a Time of Trouble
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Asia is a nerve center for multiple global economic, political and security challenges. The Center for Asian Studies provides documented expertise and a platform for discussion on Asian issues to accompany decision makers and explain and contextualize developments in the region for the sake of a larger public dialogue.
The Center's research is organized along two major axes: relations between Asia's major powers and the rest of the world; and internal economic and social dynamics of Asian countries. The Center's research focuses primarily on China, Japan, India, Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific, but also covers Southeast Asia, the Korean peninsula and the Pacific Islands.
The Centre for Asian Studies maintains close institutional links with counterpart research institutes in Europe and Asia, and its researchers regularly carry out fieldwork in the region.
The Center organizes closed-door roundtables, expert-level seminars and a number of public events, including an Annual Conference, that welcome experts from Asia, Europe and the United States. The work of Center’s researchers, as well as that of their partners, is regularly published in the Center’s electronic journal Asie.Visions.
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