Romania's political climate

Commentator Bogdan Chirieac fears that the effects of EU membership on Romania's political culture may not be entirely positive. "Europe will become a scapegoat for the leading populist politicians and corrupt, inefficient government officials that we still haven't managed to get rid of. Over the last 17 years, Romania has become increasingly europeanised, but like in Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, a period of renewed nationalism will follow during which we will hear catchphrases like 'Give Romania back to the Romanians' or 'Romania must be governed by Bucharest and not by Brussels' from leading politicians like President Traian Basescu. The transitional period we had to go through will be nothing compared to this. In the 1990s we were nationalists and extremely poor. Now we will flirt with nationalism in times of unprecedented economic growth."

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