This article aims to explore that the European integration has led an
institutional development in Romania. In details, It focuses on identifying the
correlation between European integration as an institutionalized normative
community and institutiona...
This article aims to explore that the European integration has led an
institutional development in Romania. In details, It focuses on identifying the
correlation between European integration as an institutionalized normative
community and institutional improvement in Romania, especially, in the field of
anti-corruption, environmental and official development aid(ODA) policies.
Theoretical frame work to analyse and discuss is based on constructivism.
The constructivism focuses on ideational factors, such as, values, norms
and identities, which influence international relations. Therefore, the
constructivism gives a persuasive explanation regarding the effect of the
European integration as an institutionalized community toward institutional
progress in Romania.
Corruption issue in Romania was one of the main obstacles to joining the
European Union. The European Union has constantly demanded Romania to solve the
corruption issue. As a result, the anti-corruption policy has been gradually
developed in Romania. The government of Romania has led a progress of
anti-corruption policy by establishing and reforming organizations in the
government. As the anti-corruption policy developed, various NGOs participated
in the discussions and procedures to develop anti-corruption policy, and the
citizens began to pay more attention to the corruption issue.
Also the environmental policy, similar to the anti-corruption policy, was
the field which has been required to be improved in order to join the European
Union. Thus, the government of Romania established relevant laws and
organizations of which reflecting systems and the environmental protection
norms of the European Union. The institutional progress in the field of
environment led a consciousness change of citizens. After Romania joined the
European Union, there were several huge protests demanding environmental
protection. Moreover, during those protests, Romanian citizens tried to seek
solutions at dimension of the European Union.
On the contrary, the ODA policy was not a condition for joining the
European Union. However, the government of Romania as a member state of the
European Union implements ODA policy to follow and accommodate values and norms
which the European Union pursues. The government of Romania has accepted and
enacted norms of the European Union related to ODA and expanding recipient
countries and fields since 2007. The participation and cooperation of the civil
society are becoming more active and related to the improvement of the policy.
The background of this institutional development in Romania is the
European integration as an institutionalized normative community. The European
Union has institutionalized universal values such as democracy, environmental
protection, human rights and equality during the process of integration. Such
values have become norms that the member states and candidate states should
adhere to. The Copenhagen criteria, Cooperation and Verification Mechanism(CVM)
and the European Charter of Fundamental Rights are the basis that the European
Union moves towards an institutionalized normative community.
The European integration as an institutionalized community implies that
the normative international relation could be applied internationally. At the
same time, the European Union case from the perspective of the
institutionalized normative community suggests an alternative approach to
regional integration in Asia.