Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-09-23-Speech-2-257"
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"en.20030923.14.2-257"2
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".
Mr President, Members of the European Parliament, ladies and gentlemen, I am deeply honoured to be here today. It is a privilege to address you in a plenary session of the European Parliament, and I am grateful to Mr Cox and all of you for giving me this opportunity.
The first days of 1990 saw the most astonishing shock in the Romanian economy: the complete and unconditional renunciation of the planned, centralised economic system, the dismantling of the institutions and mechanisms characterising the state-controlled economy. When harking back, we realise that this brought about deeply entrenched economic imbalances, caused inflation and enhanced de-industrialisation and increased unemployment and the migration of the labour force from the city to the countryside. All these consequences were entirely inconsistent with the mainstream world economy. Moreover, a lack of domestic capital and the extremely low volume of foreign investment in the Romanian economy have made privatisation an even more difficult and lengthy process.
We needed more than a decade to redress the macroeconomic balances and to resume - over the past three and a half years - a steady economic growth of about 5%. The economic reform which began in the absence of the market institutions and mechanisms has entailed extremely high and hardly bearable social costs. As a matter of fact, the process of economic recovery is not over yet.
Poverty is our main problem in the social sphere. We are aware that we cannot succeed in alleviating poverty significantly without continued economic reform, without speeding up the creation of new, more stable and better paid jobs.
Responses to the economic and social problems facing Romania need to be formed, first and foremost, from within the country, mainly through a concerted effort by all the accountable political forces, so that the principles and institutions of good governance can be established. That means that we must reprimand corruption and red-tape efficiently and firmly, and give to the public servant a professional status that should no longer be used to reward political clients.
Such efforts need to result in the Romanian State's modernisation. They must enhance its institutional and administrative capabilities and turn it into a genuine and friendly partner of the citizen. We have made good progress in that direction, but we are aware of the many problems that still await adequate responses.
The logic applied to state modernisation and the preparations for accession to the European Union also applied to the revision of our constitution, which has been carried out through the active participation of representatives of all parliamentary political parties and through consultation of civil society. The revision will soon be submitted for endorsement by national referendum.
Despite the hardships and flaws in Romanian society, I truthfully believe that Romania is now on the right track, that the Romanians have now come to understand that democracy is a better and more efficient political system than totalitarianism, securing higher levels of performance across the board. Freedom of choice and freedom to set up and implement alternative political, economic and social projects provide the democratic system with better opportunities. Conflicts can be settled by way of dialogue, negotiation and consensus.
Romanian society has grown up. It has acquired new foundations for national cohesion and social solidarity. It stands ready to assume the new responsibilities incumbent upon it in terms of Romania's new status as a Nato member and future Member State of the European Union.
I speak to you today at a time of great hope for my country and for its European destiny. Almost a year ago in Bucharest, Mr President, you spoke before the Romanian Parliament and shared with my fellow Romanians your vision for Europe's future and Romania's destiny within Europe. It is this Europe of values and principles that we wish to join.
Today I stand before the European Parliament to let you know that we have faced countless challenges. We have overcome many of them and our political will is to overcome them all. But my main message today is that Romania is a country that the democratic community of nations can count on. Romania will be a consistent and reliable European Union member. The European Union will gain much more than just a new EU Member State of over 22 million inhabitants; it will gain a firm believer in European integration, a Euro-optimist by choice.
Connected to Europe throughout our entire history, we believe in the system of positive values now underlying the European construction: democracy, respect for citizens' rights and liberties, justice and social equity, tolerance, solidarity within and among nations and accountability to future generations.
For us Romanians, sidelined by history for more than half a century, natural evolution within the European Community, whose values served as a beacon, was an aspiration which came true upon the revolution of December 1989. Coming out of totalitarianism - both fascist and communist - was neither simple nor easy. We had to face a twofold handicap, the first of which was institutional: the institutions of a totalitarian state are incompatible with democracy and the market economy. The second handicap was represented by our isolation from the world and our autarchic tendencies. All this occurred against the background of a deeply-rooted, historical delay in economic and social development.
We had to build up institutions, see them in place and functioning, confer on them power originating in their legitimacy and functionality. Assisted by friends and partners of Romania - who are very many, and some of whom are present in this Chamber today - we have mapped out and adopted a modern and democratic constitution, we have trained people to cope with the new demands of a working democracy.
Politically, over the past 14 years, Romania has developed its functional democracy, which has twice successfully passed the test of alternative governance. Meanwhile, civic society has emerged and asserted itself ever more strongly, thus presenting - by way of its organisations - a necessary and useful counter-power, and forming a catalyst for public debate.
The formulation of a national strategy on the relationships between the majority and ethnic minorities, including the implicit representation of such minorities in parliament, has been highly successful for this political transition. The treatment that ethnic minorities enjoy in Romania is exemplary and meets every European and international standard. Our country is a realm of tolerance and dialogue and of fruitful cooperation between various ethnic groups; such treatment has become a tradition and a culture of dialogue and consensus has developed. There is an important party belonging to the Hungarian minority, just as there are parties and organisations representing, politically and culturally, the interests of the Germans, Roma, Jews, Ukrainians, Polish, and so on: citizens of Romania. At the moment, we are focusing on making better use of the programmes for the economic and social integration of the Roma minority.
We have scored significant progress in the field of economic reforms, although most delays in our transition occur in that sphere. Such delays are the result of a whole host of factors, both objective and subjective, as well as the consequence of a particular historical reality. We have often been criticised for not having carried out shock therapy, and for our gradual approach to reforms, which has prevented us from scoring the results envisaged. We consider such accusations to be unfounded."@en1
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"Ion Iliescu,"1
"President of Romania"1
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