Romania in NATO and the European Union: The Present

Integration into Euro-Atlantic structures was the main goal of Romanian policy after 1990. On 29 March 2004 Romania became a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), a collective security guarantee without precedent in its history. On 1 January 2007, after the conclusion of negotiations with the European Union and the signing of the Treaty of Accession in 2005, Romania became a member state of the EU, together with Bulgaria. These events sealed the country’s reintegration into the Western civilization from which it had been isolated for four decades.

In the following period the country experienced significant economic growth, but also shortcomings. Gross domestic product rose considerably until 2008, when the global financial crisis struck the economy, and the government adopted austerity measures in 2010. Millions of Romanians emigrated to work abroad, especially in Italy, Spain, Germany and the United Kingdom, which brought a substantial flow of money to families, but also a decline in population. The 2021 census showed about 19 million inhabitants, down from over 22 million in 1992.

Politically, the years 2000–2020 were marked by the fight against corruption, in which the National Anticorruption Directorate played an important role, and by tensions between parties. Traian Băsescu was president from 2004 to 2014, followed by Klaus Iohannis, elected in 2014 and re-elected in 2019. In 2013–2014 Romania launched infrastructure projects, and Bucharest became a regional technology hub. The civic protests of 2012, 2017 and 2018 showed the vitality of civil society. Motorways, airports and the gas network expanded, but infrastructure remains an area for further development.

In 2020–2022 the COVID-19 pandemic and the war launched by Russia in Ukraine on 24 February 2022 tested the security of the region. Romania received hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian refugees and supported Ukraine, and the presence of allied forces on its territory was strengthened. Accession to the Schengen area took place in two stages: air and sea borders on 31 March 2024, and land borders on 1 January 2025. In December 2024 the Constitutional Court annulled the first round of the presidential elections, an unprecedented decision which set off an intense public debate.

In 2025 the rerun presidential election was won by Nicușor Dan, the former mayor of Bucharest, who defeated a nationalist candidate in the second round on 18 May. Romania has a history of more than two millennia, which has shaped its identity: the Latin roots of its language, faith, the spirit of defending the land, the desire for unity. For a young person today, the lesson of history means respect for the past, knowledge of its mistakes, gratitude towards those who defended the country, and the responsibility to build a future in freedom, democracy and peace.