Regardless of the concrete events that have occurred or will take place soon, 2006 will remain in the modern history of Romania as the last year of the post-communist transition, while 2007 will appear as the first year as an EU member. Therefore, any analysis of the former supposes a certain balance sheet more extensive than the strictly calendar one, while a reference to the latter means a perspective much vaster than a 12 months one. With 2006, a process begun in December 1989, with the collapse of communism, continued with a heavy and difficult transition to a representative democracy and the market economy, and clearly outlined concurrently with the launching of the negotiations for accession to EU, came indeed to the end. Actually, all that happened in the public life of the country in the last five years occurred under the sign of accession.
Periodical country reports with their red flags, the visits of the European Commissioners, starting with those responsible for the enlargement of the Union, priority problems such as the situation of the non-institutionalized children, the condition of Justice, the security of the borders, the fight against big corruption are moment that can be landmarks for what already exists: the history of the EU accession. In a country in which the acceptance in the European Community was and especially remained a problem of political-strategic option and less of internal reality, the accession game has developed chiefly according to the rule “give me the economy and I give you the integration.” Once the major privatisations from the key domains - banking, telecommunication, electricity, oil, natural gas, etc. - finished for the benefit of the big European firms, it stood to reason that the act from January 1, 2007 became unavoidable. Not accidentally ever more analysts consider that the accession to EU of the 10 eastern countries was a demand of the enlargement of the Union under the pressure of the economic globalization rather than an internal demand of those countries (as a result of the development gap). Thus, it is from this perspective that the merits of the internal efforts have to be analysed. Obviously, no one can ignore the role of scarecrow played by the accession in maintaining certain limits in the development of a political life like the Romanian one. The governance set up further to the elections from November-December 2004 with great efforts and only subject to group interests resisted only for such reasons. The success once assured, PC - the “immoral solution” - retired from the Government in early December, and the dissidents from PNL turned public announcing the formation of PLD. Damocles’ sword - of the accession affected by political instability - once raised, the centrifugal tendencies were given free rein, any variant and political forms becoming possible again. But this time again, the truth was confirmed that what maintains the politicians together and in power are not the general interests, like those of the accession to EU, but rather the group and even individual ones. This explains the fact that remaining a minority Government, Tariceanu Cabinet has all the chances to resist for a longer time, because not any political formation or even MP is interested, at least right now, to go to snap elections! At least in 2007. |