Romania still pays the penalty of the isolationist attitude it built in the past few decades, which is obvious at all levels of our foreign relations, starting from the work style of our diplomats and going to the way we have seen fit to play the game on the European chessboard so far. Consequently, a reform in approaching the European arena is critical for Romania. We talked in our previous issue... 

In Romania, signs of the physical impossibility of the country’s integration are becoming increasingly evident and dramatic. Would anyone cast a glance sine ira et studio on the Romanian political and social scene, one would notice with no effort the extent of our incompatibility as regards the EU accession. True reforms in key structures of the State have not been made, or even, according to... 

An old story says that, if you put two equally full buckets of water on front of a donkey, he would thirst to death as he wouldn’t know which one to drink from. PSD is currently facing a similar dilemma. On the one hand, European integration could help at a political level, yet on the other hand, the most affected would be its own people, either members or simple voters. PSD – between... 

The stake of the June 6 elections is the highest of all local ballots in the past 14 years due to the current political circumstances. The existence of a State-party, the ruling Social Democrat Party (PSD), which cannot refrain from daily breaking the law, and weakness of public institutions, unable to sanction any type of law violation when it comes to PSD, can once more question the country’s... 

There are nations that plan on the long-term and develop strategies with this stated purpose. The Chinese plan their future for 50 years; the Japanese do the same for 40 years, and the Americans for 25 years. Nevertheless, there are also nations that go only to short-term plans. Romanians fall under this heading, since they can only make their planning for 5 years tops (like in the communist period).... 

PSD has obtained, at the local elections in 2000, 35,5 % of the mayor mandates, meaning – in absolute figures – 1050 mayors. At the end of year 2003, after an aggressive recruitment campaign, using more or less constraining arguments, the social-democrat dowry counted 1947 mayors, which meant a 30% artificial increase, compared to the reality expressed by the vote in 2000. The strategists... 

The government was not happy at all when it read in the Country Report that Romania does not have a functioning economy market. The Party and the State propaganda took action and transformed it into a functional one through a “sensitive translation”. The fact that it had no effect was proved by the recent discussions about “reorientation” of negotiations (another heartless translation),... 

The “Justice and Truth” Alliance (PNL-PD), benefits in an electoral year from an unexpected chance: the devastating critiques by the European Parliament and the European Commission, regarding the social-democrat government. In a really masochistic move, the PSD leaders helped their “partners” in the Alliance: they offered the position of Bucharest’s mayor to their political... 

The countdown has begun. In the current state of affairs, every second running out looks fatal to the notable PSD representatives in the Government and in the Parliament, in Bucharest and throughout the country. Two months to go to the local administration elections, six months to the release of the European Commission country report (essential document confirming if Romania joins the European Union... 

As the local elections are coming, the dynamics in the activity of all parties has already changed. The members of Parliament spend more time in their represented districts than in Bucharest (a situation that may seem highly unusual), the campaign managers gather funds and draw up programs and offers, televisions are taken by storm by candidates to the mayor or councilor chairs. More than ever, this...