Statements marking the National Day of Romania
Romanians celebrated National Day on December 1
Leyla Cheamil, 02.12.2024, 13:50
Romanians celebrated their National Day on Sunday, December 1, this year marking 106 years since all provinces with a Romanian-majority population united under a single central authority. Therefore, December 1, 1918 marks the establishment of the Romanian national state. At the end of World War I, all provinces inhabited by Romanians, previously under the authority of the Austro-Hungarian and Tsarist empires (Transylvania, Banat, Bukovina and Bessarabia) united into the Kingdom of Romania. President Klaus Iohannis, who hosted his last reception as head of state marking the National Day, conveyed a message of unity and solidarity to overcome crises and move forward with dignity. The Romanian people is strong and attached to democratic values and will continue to defend these values, the president said. Klaus Iohannis urged Romanians to look back with gratitude at the sacrifices and the fight for unity and sovereignty, but also forward to the future that must be built with wisdom.
“On December 1, 1918, our forbearers managed to fulfill their dream of having a single country, achieving, in Alba Iulia, the Great Union. Since then, we have gone through wars, dictatorship, a revolution, serious health and economic crises. Driven by unity and solidarity in the face of common objectives, we have always managed to overcome these crises, to adapt and to rise stronger than before”.
In turn, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said that this year’s National Day is more important than ever, underlining the need for a Parliament that “keeps things in check”, so as not to slide “down a dangerous slope”. “This December 1 is about choosing between stability and chaos, between development and austerity”, Prime Minister Ciolacu said. The Prime Minister highlighted the need to strike a balance so as to maintain Romania on a pro-European track, to continue investments with European funds and for people to keep their jobs and pensions.
Senate Speaker Nicolae Ciucă also highlighted the duty to put stability, dialogue and respect for citizens first, in the context of the current period marked by challenges and important decisions. “Now is the time to remember the sacrifices of our ancestors, who laid the foundation of a united and sovereign state, but also the responsibility we have to carry their legacy forward”, Nicolae Ciucă said in a message marking the National Day. “I hope this day will bring us together, regardless of our differences of opinion, around the values that define us as a nation: unity, solidarity and hope for a better future. Romania has the resources and potential to grow, but this requires hard work, honesty and courage”, Nicolae Ciucă also pointed out. (VP)
