Romania celebrates 15 years of EU membership

On 1st January 2007, Romania became a full member of the European Union after intense negotiations.

Eugen Coroianu, 03.01.2022, 14:00

For Romanians, their country’s entry into the European
Union meant the elimination of borders, with the possibility to travel, study
and work freely in other EU countries. The freedom of movement, including for
goods, provided a huge market for Romanian companies and products, with almost
80% of the country’s exports now going to the European Union. As a result of the
influx of European funds and the implementation of various community regulations,
visible changes soon appeared in Romania, which is a net beneficiary of the EU
budget, meaning that it gets more money than it contributes. The country has managed
to increase its GDP per capita from 39% of the EU average before accession to 59%
after nine years in the Union, and is estimated to pass 66% this year.

Accession to the European Union anchored us in the
European space of democracy and values, an ideal that became reality through
the supreme sacrifice of those who fought in December 1989. The European path
legitimately remains the only path to prosperity, stability and development for
Romania in the long term, said president Klaus Iohannis in a statement. He added
that the benefits for Romanian citizens and society are tangible and translate
into improvements in everyday life, whether it’s the internal market, environmental
protection, digitalisation, free movement and the opportunity to study, work
and live everywhere in the European Union, funding for development and
modernisation in areas such as infrastructure, rural areas, energy, healthcare
and education. The president emphasised that Romania today directly contributes,
as an EU member state, to the consolidation and strengthening of the European Union.

Prime minister Nicolae Ciucă said Romania’s entry into
the European Union was the result of the joint efforts of the political class
and diplomats, under the security guarantees provided by NATO membership and the
trust earned in the theatres of operation by the Romanian military, who were loyal
and well-trained partners for their western allies. He emphasised the increased
prosperity gained from 15 years of EU membership, with the country’s GDP tripling
and the GDP per capita growing almost four times. Romania’s actions as a member
of the European Union will continue to be guided by full respect for the rule
of law, the Union’s treaties and the principles and values laid down in these
treaties, as basic pillars of the Union, as well as for European legislation in
general, the Romanian prime minister also said. (CM)