CALL for repositioning Romania in relation to the new architecture of the European Union

AN APPEAL
to the President of the EU Council, the European Commission and the EU Parliament as well as the Romanian President, Government and Parliament

The fact that the member states of the EU need the Union, as well as sensible improvement in the decision-making process and the functioning of EU institutions should not need to be argued for. From the perspective of economic and social competitiveness, security and innovation, nations would simply not endure on their own, the way they could have before World War II. Accelerated global competition, against entire continents and emergent economical groups has intensified over the past decade, showcasing the inevitability of cooperation between the EU’s states and their nationals. This is especially poignant for some of the most fragmented of peoples, as is the case in Spain, Belgium or Poland.

Tensions have escalated between the United States and the Russian Federation in recent times and Romania needs to be capable of being involved and take on a credible place at the highest decisional positions in the EU. For these reasons, for Romania’s credibility ahead of negotiations referring to the EU’s future identity, we consider these courses of action to be vital:

A comprehensive counter to the legislative chaos and manipulation, at times acted out by State Authorities.
Establishing a clear commitment and timeline of Romania’s accession to the Eurozone, as well as other global barometer organisations, such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Clear selection criteria for the central public administration, based on merit, competence, morals, civic responsibility.
Establishing clear rules for communication and transparency between authorities of the State as well towards the civic society, without bowing to pressure from dominant religious factions.
Moving towards administrative decentralization and regionalization, according to EU good practice; actual depoliticizing of public authorities in general.
Efficiently monitoring of the implementation of community legislation in order to comprehensively reduce the number of infringement rulings by the European Commission and the European Court of Justice.
A focal shift from the strict punishment of high-level corruption towards the accelerated retrieving of incurred losses and prevention measures that would stifle acts of graft or corruption early on, instead of years after the fact when losses will realistically be unrecoverable.
Promoting durable regional development policies and ensuring actual equal opportunity for citizens, both socially and professionally, sans current overt and covert discriminations.
Establishing a strong, flexible inter-institutional lobby group favouring Romanian interests in rapport to the principal EU decisional institutions.

In order for the objectives of the internal agenda to best complement the redefining of the EU architecture, we request that the leaders of the EU and implicitly Romania, to consider and value the following major components:

Maintaining the deepening of European unification under the eternal guise of an inter-governmental approach
Through public policy and adequate action, combating superficial humanitarianism veiled under thin generosity; it is counter-productive towards an ageing populace and migratory tendencies and clearly fuels the wide range of retrograde discourses across the continent.
Towards strengthening of EU cohesion and endurance in the new age of protectionist and fragmentation policies, the revision of the Lisbon Treaty within a reasonable time, in order to resume on firm footing the project initiated with the Maastricht Treaty; generating a common, coherent EU constitutional identity, including a much more explicit civic component in the future European Constitution.
Accomplishing internal reform of the European Parliament, as a prime legislative body, through the establishment of an Independent Citizen’s Chamber, sans political affiliation, a European Government and the broadening of competences for the European Court of Justice and the role of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, especially towards anti-corruption efforts.
The establishing of an explicit dynamic balance between prosperity, through the European Single Market, and citizens’ social rights, especially through a more sustained implementation of the concepts derived from sustainable development.
The establishing of an intelligent and pragmatic compromise between the bureaucratic arm of the EU
Establishing a coherent and imperative mechanism for consolidated cooperation between national parliaments and the European Parliament, as well as between the constitutional courts of the member states, with the goal of gradually reducing virulence in extremist discourses and the economic inefficacy of populist leaders.
Reconfiguring the European Central Bank’s role as a financial tuning fork, in particular towards improving and harmonizing the system of unitary financial governance and implicitly forming a fairer climate the economies of more fragile states, outside of the Eurozone.
Finalising a realistic and unitary concept of European Security, especially through reducing the dependence on United States’ support; the elaboration of a broad quick-response system capable of responding to any international conflict or crisis.
Accelerating the simplifying of rules and procedures, as initiated by the European Commission, in particular towards the management of EU funded projects; as well as cost reduction and increased efficiency in institutions regarded by the public as costly and unpopular.
Re-establishing the entire European educational system on cultivating universal values and pluralism, multiculturalism, secular states; adopting measure and policies for alternative continuous education and cultural activity meant to strengthen ‘constitutional patriotism’ as well as the symbolic common brand of the entire European Union.
With the goal of preventing the deepening of socio-economic gaps, migration patterns and illegal human trafficking, the pursuit of more pragmatically founded reforms in developing countries.

Seeing as EU membership is seen as a final shield against certain hyper-competitive tendencies, out of alignment with the doctrine of human rights, we consider that the task of Romania’s improvement will depend on its capacity towards more than just declarative involvement. Only such changes could lead to a profound Europeanization, emerging from a post-patriarchal, provincial state, propelling it closer to the pace set by the EU’s ‘hard core’.

It is by these means that we officially request from the President of Romania, in the context of his participation in the Anniversary Summit of the Rome Treaty, to consider our set of proposals and recommendations coming from the representatives of the Round Table and to draw inspiration from them throughout the oncoming consultations and negotiations. We hope for a most comprehensive arguing in favour of the position that Romania wishes to occupy in the post-Brexit EU so that the Romanian State might be eligible to receive the desired support of the EU, so that it stays in the highest echelon of the European framework.

On the other hand, we request of the leaders of the European Union that regardless of its vision and final decision taken towards the future of EU development, it maintains its constant and firm support for the institutional development and reforms in Romania. This is especially important in matters of common fundamental liberties and values, a shared economic prosperity for all citizens, guiding Romania ever closer to the ‘hard core’ of European integration, especially considering its oncoming presidency of the EU in 2019.

For these reasons, in the name of the event’s participants, we consider it especially poignant that in the case of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe or the European Convention that led to the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, the decision be made to name a Special Emissary or Negotiator, who would mediate and contribute towards the establishing of the wisest possible final decisions regards the reformation and functioning of a future European Union.

For conformity,
The Organising Secretary of the Round Table
Bucharest, March 23rd 2017

P.S.
This CALL was translated with the support of Stand Up for Europe – Bucharest and will later be broadcast towards information and lobbying efforts towards: