The Romanian Atheneum in Bucharest is being prepared for a historical event for the country. Tonight there will be a solemn ceremony of starting the Romanian presidency in the EU Council. The event will be attended by the highest ranks of the European Union – Jean-Claude Juncker, Donald Tusk, and Antonio Tajani.
In addition to formal reasons, EU leaders have other motives to visit the country. So, the President of the European Commission has scheduled working meetings with the leadership of Romania – President Klaus Iohannis, Prime Minister Viorica Dancila and leader of the ruling party Liviu Dragnea.
Judging by recent statements by Juncker, the Chief EU Commissioner intends to conduct explanatory work with those who will make decisions in the EU Council in the next six months. Brussels still has big doubts about the ability of the current Romanian authorities to hold such a responsible post. Criticism against Bucharest even reveals some discomfort of Europeans with the future Romanian Presidency. It seems that today these mixed feelings will only intensify – during a solemn ceremony a number of public movements intend to go to the anti-government rally “We want Europe, but not a dictatorship!”
Bucharest triumph turned out to be a disgrace
Everyone in Romania has been looking forward to the EU Presidency. In the Government Program for 2018–2020, a strategic document of the government, this goal heads the list of foreign policy priorities of Bucharest. Presidency in one of the two EU legislative bodies was announced as the main instrument for enhancing the authority and importance of Romania in the European Union this year. The successful work in a high position is believed to bring closer the country’s entry into the Schengen zone and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which Bucharest has been seeking for more than a year. In addition, using opportunities of European institutions, the Romanian authorities expected to strengthen the country’s position in Eastern Europe, including strengthening its influence on Moldova.
However, these ambitions risk remaining a dead letter. Romania has hardly stepped into its role as the Western press attacked Bucharest with a stream of criticism. The attempts of the governing party to soften the anti-corruption legislation and to amnesty the politicians who fell under criminal prosecution was the main reason for it. Newspapers have already awarded Romania the title of “the main disappointment of the year” – for derogation from democratic values and anti-corruption activity.
Media headlines are full of accusations and conclusions displeasing for Bucharest. The New York Times, for example, noted scathingly that “The government of Romania is on a collision course with the European Union at the very moment it is scheduled to take a leadership role in the organization”. The “collision course” means that the Romanian elites disdain the main European values.
In this vein, the claim by the head of the ruling Social Democratic Party of Romania, Liviu Dragnea, against the European Commission seems quite inappropriate. Recently, the European Anti-Fraud Office has linked the theft of European funds to financial assets of the politician. Dragnea intends to defend his honor in court, but the scandal itself casts a shadow over the Romanian Presidency of the EU Council. The Financial Times did not miss the opportunity to troll the Romanian senator by making a huge hint of the politician’s corruption. The British write that the Dragnea’s sprawling villa in the middle of one of the poorest regions of Romania has become a real attraction, turning into “a monument to a culture of impunity”.
The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung is even more merciless in expressions: “With its wild rhetoric and by dismantling the State governed by the rule of law, the Romanian government attacks the foundations of democracy”. The Neue Zurcher Zeitung also catches up: “The government of corrupt officials heads the Council of the EU”. The publication notes that the State governed by the rule of law in Romania is under threat due to the personal interests of the “corrupt community” being in power.
Manage the EU against the infighting
The motto of the Romanian Presidency is “Cohesion, a common European value”. Ironically, there is no cohesion even among the highest authorities and this attracts attention in European capitals.
A serious political struggle flared up between the Social Democrats, which control both houses of parliament and the government, and the country’s president Klaus Iohannis. The latter successfully uses a corruption card to attack the opponents, although he himself shies away from accusations of abuse of powers. It is already obvious that the Romanian Presidency of the EU Council will in one way or another be used in internal political arguments. Jean-Claude Juncker will probably caution against it in the course of his upcoming meetings with Romanian politicians.
The aggravation of relations between the center and the regions, and national minorities threatens to be another uncomfortable moment for Romania during its presidency. In December, several largest cities and provincial centers in western Romania, dissatisfied with the distribution of European grants, formed the Western Alliance, which has already caused phobias of separatism in Bucharest. Brussels’ favor of this alliance also inspired the supporters of Szekely Autonomy in Transylvania, enjoying the full support of Hungary.
So far, Bucharest demonstrates an amazing inability to compromise with regional movements and takes a lot of risks. In circumstances where all European spotlights will be turned on Romania for the next six months, any internal aggravation will extremely affect the country’s image with serious reputational losses. In addition, conflicts with the regions undermine the Romanian project to incorporate Moldova. The current criticism of Bucharest by the EU has already thrown cold water on Romanian politicians with regard to the neighboring state. In addition, even Romania’s accession to the Schengen zone, which has recently seemed quite a settled thing, is under threat now.
The presidency in one of the main European institutions was supposed to be the moment of Romania’s triumph, recognition of its sustainability and success within the framework of the European Union. It was a unique chance to approve their agenda and promote their own interests in the European area. However, a series of domestic political scandals, Brussels’s disappointment and sharp criticism by the Western media make clear one central fact: the historical moment that has been waited for many years is likely to be wasted for Romania. 
