Romanian withdrawal from the European Union

The Romanian withdrawal from the European Union or Roexit (also Romexit,[1] both being portmanteaus of "Romania" and "exit") is the hypothetical Romanian withdrawal from the European Union (EU).[2] Romania, which joined the EU in 2007, is usually regarded as different from its other Eastern European neighbours members of the organization, where illiberal and populist politics dominate.[3]

Location of Romania in the European Union

History

In 2018, Daniel Dragomir, a former Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI) member, said in Facebook that Romania should leave the European Union (EU). Dragomir, a nationalist against the anti-corruption policies of the country, stated that EU membership was affecting Romanian national sovereignty and that Brussels was "robbing from us". This statement has been proven to be false, as Romania then received more money than it gave to the EU. He said this after Frans Timmermans, Vice-President of the European Commission, criticized the justice reforms that were then taking place in Romania. Dragomir published a list of 10 reasons why it should leave the EU.[4][5]

Some political parties in Romania advocate the proposal as well. An example is Noua Dreaptă, a far-right party, opposes Romanian presence in the EU and NATO.[6]

However, other politicians like Corina Crețu, a former European Commissioner for Regional Policy, criticized the idea, calling it a "luxury" and listing several moments in which the EU has helped the country.[7] Victor Negrescu, the then Romanian Minister Delegate for European Affairs, said the idea is not taken into account at political level in the country and that it has only been created to "stir controversy". He instead advocated for the integration of Romania in European politics.[2]

Public opinion

Euroscepticism is generally not very popular among Romanians. According to a poll from 2015, 65.6% of Romanians thought that joining the EU had been beneficial for their country. This represented a very notable change compared to the 2013 poll; only 35% saw the EU as beneficial. Furthermore, 58% agreed with the adoption of the euro in 2015 compared to 35% in 2013.[8]

See also

References
  1. Coman, Ramona (25 March 2019). "La Roumanie, le pays où le peuple est plus pro-européen que ses élites". The Conversation (in French).
  2. "Romanian minister: RO-EXIT does not exist". Romania Insider. 9 October 2018.
  3. Paul, Henri (26 November 2018). "Après le Brexit, un Roexit? Ou pourquoi la Roumanie inquiète". Letemps.ch (in French).
  4. Gavin, Harvey (3 October 2018). "ROEXIT: Could Romania leave the EU? Ex-spy demands exit – "Brussels is ROBBING us"". Daily Express.
  5. "ROEXIT: Former intelligence officer turned politician proposes Romania's exit from EU". Romania Insider. 2 October 2018.
  6. Totok, William (25 March 2018). "Între legionarism deghizat și naționalism-autoritar". Radio Europa Liberă Moldova (in Romanian).
  7. "Cretu calls RoExit a 'luxury' and says Romania could not even consider it". Independent Balkan News Agency. 30 October 2018.
  8. Pușcaș, Florin (8 May 2015). "SONDAJ – Euroscepticismul nu prinde la români". Stiri pe surse (in Romanian).
  • The dictionary definition of Roexit at Wiktionary
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