Abstract
This working paper analyses the salience of differentiated integration (DI) for subsequent Romanian governments between 2007 and 2020, and the positions that Romanian decision-makers took with respect to DI during this period. The salience analyses indicate that there has been a relatively low salience of DI models (i.e. multi-speed and multi-end EU) and DI mechanisms (i.e. enhanced cooperation and opt-outs) but a high salience of DI instances (i.e. twenty-one differentiated EU policies) in the official discourse emanating from the Romanian government during this period. The position of successive Romanian governments with regard to DI was strongly in favour of more integration, especially through accession both to the Schengen area and to the eurozone, but fervently against any type of DI models. This is explained in part by Romania’s pro-European electorate and decision-makers, and also by the desire of Romanian governments’ to be on an equal footing with other, typically older, EU Member States within the EU’s decision-making processes. It seems that this pro-European stance is not context-dependent but prevails across all DI instances, as Romanian decision-makers from across the political spectrum share the same general desire to strengthen the European project and to support its evolution towards ever-closer union.
Highlights
This report seeks to analyse the salience of differentiated integration (DI) for Romanian governments and the positions that Romanian decision-makers have taken with respect to DI.The report distinguishes three levels of abstraction in government discourse on DI
To facilitate readers’ understanding of the findings presented here, and to enhance analytical clarity, transparency and verifiability, I have included several appendices: the first captures Romania’s degree of integration in Europe’s variety of integration circles; the second summarises the status of Romania’s participation in various instances of DI in the European Union (EU); the third lists the presidents and prime ministers that have governed Romania since 2004 together with the durations of their mandates and their political affiliations; the fourth provides an overview of the documents which were analysed for this report; and the fifth provides a translation of DI key words from the English language into the Romanian language
The study continues with the analysis of official government discourse in the domestic arena, namely the investiture speeches held in the Romanian Parliament by the prime minister and the president, and their speeches relating to the EU or to the future of European integration but excluding the government’s discourse with respect to Romania’s presidency of the European Council analysed in the previous section
Summary
The salience analyses indicate that there has been a relatively low salience of differentiated integration (DI) models and DI mechanisms but a high salience of DI instances in the official discourse emanating from the Romanian government between 2007 and 2020. The salience of DI models was generally low until it peaked around the debate on the Commission’s White Paper on the Future of Europe in 2017 and has remained relatively high ever since. Most references to DI instances were made with respect to Schengen and to Economic and Monetary Union (EMU). While references to DI models were made mainly in the national parliament and on the fringes of European Council meetings, references to DI instances such as with respect to Schengen, EMU and Brexit were highly salient across all the arenas for government communication considered in this paper
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