Romania and The European Union: From Marginalisation to Membership?

This new book explores Romania's relationship with the European Union since the collapse of the Ceausescu regime in 1989 and its efforts to gain EU membership. The authors present the reader with a clear sense of the debate, with full coverage of Romania's inclusion in the Phare programme, its official application for EU membership, Luxembourg's decision not to invite Romania to open accession negotiations, the Helsinki decision to begin accession negotiations, and the state of the current accession negotiations. Alongside analysis of these developments, key issues are tackled in depth, including: * the changing face of Romania's political elite as it comes to terms with the demands of European integration and pursues the domestic reforms required to secure entry * the process of macroeconomic reform in accordance with the EU's Copenhagen criterion, concerning the need for a 'functioning market economy' * public administrationreform, the slow pace of which has been identified as a key obstacle to Romania's entry into the EU. This book will be of great interest for all students and scholars of politics, economics and of European integration in particular.