“(…) At this celebratory time, a glance back at the 60 years of European integration shows that the European Union proved a historic success, a true Union in Diversity. States once rival and devastated by the most awful conflicts this continent has known, now share the same currency and manage their own interests within common institutions, in the spirit of harmony and coordination. The European Union comprises 27 states today and is founded on a shared heritage, relying on respect for fundamental human rights, on safeguarding human dignity, on the primate of democracy and the rule of law.
Romania began its course to join the European Union on February 1, 1993, when the Agreement for Romania’s joining the EU was signed, agreement enforced two years later. Romania officially applied for admission to the EU in June 1995, and, in December 1999, the European Council decided to initiate negotiations for admission with Romania, alongside six other states. (…)
Negotiations for admission were an extremely important process for Romania.
Romania’s joining the European Union granted it an opportunity for modernization, prosperity and progress, in the context of its return to the grand European family. Romanians earned the right to travel, to study, to work in Europe and became the beneficiaries of the EU’s whole package of joint policies, including those supporting the main objective to recover the development lag from Western states, first and foremost, the policy of economic, social and territorial cohesion.
Romania is, still, at the beginning of its journey as an EU member state, and its European course will not be a smooth one; to overcome hindrances, the joint effort of the society as a whole is needed, from the state institutions to each and every citizen. We need a joint action, which pursues well-defined targets, to effectively take advantage of the opportunities afforded by Romania’s status as an EU member state.
Europe Day gives us the occasion to renew our ambition to carry on the European message of “unity in diversity”, to contribute to further developing a Europe which is safe and prosperous internally, as well as strong and closely knit-together abroad.
Happy birthday, Europe!”
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