Negotiation Process as an Integral Part of Romania’s Integration into the EU

Abstract

The author of the article analyzes European Union-Romania’s membership negotiations, that began on February 15, 2000 and exposes their basic problems. The author traced the dynamics of the negotiation process on the basis of EU and Romania documents and proved that the main purpose of negotiations was to comprehensively achieve Copenhagen criteria by Romania. The cooperation between EU and Romania developed on the basis of the provisions of the European Agreement within the framework of its institutions. The negotiation process of Romania’s accession to the European Union took place under the established procedure and was practically indistingui-shable from the negotiations of other CEE countries. It is substantiated that despite the real reforms, increasing Romania’s promotion in the process of preparation for EU membership and real assistance to the EU to intensify Romania preparation for membership in 2004, but in October 2002 the EU institutions agreed on Romania’s joining the EU after 2004. It was established that the intensification of Romania’s efforts to implement the criteria for admission and the adoption in February 2004 of the financial package for its accession contributed to the closure of the most difficult issues of negotiations in 2004.