In a deeply globalized and highly interconnected world, foreign policy performance reflects directly on society as a whole.
In terms of its effects, the COVID-19 pandemic has proven to be a complex health crisis, as well as a social, economic and political crisis, which has required a unified global effort, leading to the need for a strong, coordinated response and a full commitment of the international community faced with a constantly changing situation.
In this difficult context, Romania will continue to act as a credible and predictable partner, a vector of stability and a strong promoter of democracy. Our foreign policy will continue to be based on continuity and predictability, coherence and consistency of action.
Increasing Romania’s role and profile within the European Union (EU) and NATO, and strengthening and expanding the Strategic Partnership with the United States of America remain the basic pillars of our international action, constituting the “strategic conceptual triad” of our country’s foreign policy.
Romania wants to strengthen its foreign policy profile by adapting to new challenges, remaining a strong, coherent and consistent voice within the EU and the North Atlantic Alliance, as well as a reliable Strategic Partner for the US.
These pillars are complemented by our country’s deep attachment to multilateralism, as Romania’s global commitments are to promote freedom, strengthen democracy and observe the rules of international law, as the foundations on which the security and prosperity of nations are built.
Romania aims to pursue an active foreign policy, focused on achieving national objectives and interests, so that our country garners more respect and is firmly anchored to Western democratic values, for the direct benefit of its citizens, to ensure their security and well-being.
Strategic Partnerships and special relations with other states that are part of the same community of values and security with Romania will also be further strengthened in order to increase our country’s strategic resilience.
From this perspective, the development of Strategic Partnerships and other bilateral relations, the promotion of the strategic relevance of the Black Sea, the projection of Romania’s profile as a factor of stability and promotion of EU values in the region, as well as the support of political, economic and security interests in areas of interest for our country will be concrete benchmarks of Romania’s foreign policy actions.
Priorities
The Strategic Partnership with the United States of America (USA) remains a constant in Romania’s foreign policy, in the broader context of our country’s consistent interest in strengthening transatlantic relations. We will continue to deepen the bilateral relationship, based on the strategic priorities set out in the Joint Declaration adopted by the Presidents of the two countries at their meeting in August 2019. Romania aims to strengthen the Strategic Partnership and ensure a consistent US presence in our country, which will also be achieved through the bases at Deveselu and Mihail Kogălniceanu, and through participation in joint exercises.
The 140th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Romania and the US, celebrated in 2020, as well as the two anniversaries in 2021 – the 10th anniversary of the adoption of the Joint Declaration on the Strategic Partnership for the 21st Century between Romania and the United States of America, and the 10th anniversary of the entry into force of the Agreement on the deployment of the US ballistic missile defense system in Romania – open new opportunities to strengthen and deepen the bilateral political dialogue and the lasting strategic relationship between the two countries.
Beyond the political and military component, in order to strengthen the dynamics of the Strategic Partnership, Romania will work to develop this bilateral cooperation along other lines as well, primarily the economic and investment ones. There has been an increase of American interest in investment, and Romania is doing its utmost to ensure that this trend continues and produces beneficial results for both parties.
As part of the same community of security and values, Romania will remain a strong promoter of the vitally important transatlantic relationship in multilateral formats, including NATO and the EU.
The main guarantor of our country’s security is the North Atlantic Alliance. Based on this reality, Romania supports the strengthening of transatlantic solidarity and ties.
Within NATO, Romania will continue to advocate the strengthening of the collective defense dimension. There is a continued need for increased attention to the Eastern flank and the strategic Black Sea region, the closest border of NATO and the EU, exposed to security developments in the East of the continent.
In line with our country’s stated intention to assume a significant regional role, Romania will consistently promote the Bucharest 9 Format – a joint initiative by Romania and Poland, as a useful platform for the coordination of NATO’s Eastern Allies, with a view to articulating the specific contribution of these states to the ongoing processes within the North Atlantic Alliance.
The three Bucharest 9 Summits held so far (Bucharest – 2015, Warsaw – 2018 and Košice – 2019) foreshadowed the NATO Summits in Warsaw in July 2016, Brussels in July 2018 and the NATO Leaders’ Meeting in London in December 2019.
The priority lines of action defined at the first Bucharest 9 Summit remain valid:
- Strengthening solidarity and indivisibility of Allied security, including by reinforcing the transatlantic link and supporting an enhanced US presence in Europe, militarily, politically and economically;
- strengthening NATO and continuing the adaptation process to respond to long-term risks in the East and South;
- strengthening the security space from the Black Sea to the Baltic Sea;
- the need to deepen the strategic partnership between NATO and the EU;
- ensuring that a decision to re-engage in dialogue with the Russian Federation will be based on a shared understanding of respect for international law.
Romania supports a balanced approach to the two geographic areas, the strengthening the transatlantic relationship and the EU-NATO partnership, with the identification of common responses to a number of emerging threats and the further complementary development of the Common Security and Defense Policy in relation to NATO.
Romania strongly supports the strengthening of the European project in order to respond to challenges ahead, but also to the expectations of European citizens, in a cohesive, unitary and fair manner.
Romania’s image as a state with a profoundly pro-European vision is much more visible after its first rotating Presidency of the Council of the EU in the first half of 2019, a mandate that brought very good results for the European Union and Romania alike.
On this occasion, the most important event was the Sibiu Summit on 9 May 2019, finalized with the adoption of the Sibiu Declaration, which demonstrated Romania’s ability to assume the role of a mature EU Member State ready to contribute to the consolidation of the Union. While at the helm of the Council of the EU, Romania had the opportunity to be an important actor in a broad process of reflection on the future of the Union.
The Sibiu Declaration is an essential milestone in strengthening the foundation for this future. The most important message of the Declaration – the “Spirit of Sibiu” – expresses the will of all European leaders to continue the European project together.
In line with the commitments made in Sibiu, Romania supports the implementation of the EU Strategic Agenda for the period 2019-2024, in order to achieve results benefiting all European citizens, and for the Union to move forward on the path of deeper integration.
Based on the priorities of the Strategic Agenda 2019-2024 readjusted according to the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, the key words for future action should be: respect for our values and fundamental freedoms, strategic resilience, economic growth and employment. ‘Unity’ must remain at the core of the approach, as source of the European Union’s strength, both internally and externally. Last but not least, the promotion of European interests and values in the neighboring countries, as well as on the global stage, must continue.
The agreement reached by European leaders in July 2020 on the economic Recovery Plan for Europe and the Multiannual Financial Framework for 2021-2027 is a remarkable one for the Union, but also a historic opportunity for Romania in terms of economic recovery and development. The reaching of an agreement reflects the common will of the Member States to further strengthen the Union through consensus and solidarity.
Romania has consistently emphasized the strategic role of the enlargement process, which must continue to deliver concrete results for those candidates who fulfill their commitments. Thus, our country encourages the European path of the Western Balkan states, as well as those of the Eastern Partnership countries that have signed association and free trade agreements with the European Union.
Romania will continue to be Moldova’s strongest ally on its European path. This line of action aims at continuing to directly and concretely support the efforts of the authorities in Chișinău to move closer to the European Union, in the spirit of the Strategic Partnership between Romania and the Republic of Moldova for the European integration of the Republic of Moldova, which was signed on 27 April 2010. The European path is the only way towards a profound reform of the institutions of the Republic of Moldova, which will bring tangible benefits to its citizens.
Romania will continue to support the advancement of the European agenda and will continue to contribute substantially to shaping the future of the Union. The principles that guided us during our Presidency of the Council of the EU, which put cohesion at the forefront as a common European value, will continue to underpin our country’s actions in the future, as they reflect the will of Romanian society.
Romania is a predictable player in bilateral relations. There are still particular opportunities that derive from the partnerships and strategic or special relations that our country has with Germany, France, Italy, Poland, Spain, Great Britain, Turkey or Israel, as well as with neighboring countries.
A regional approach in which Romania is actively engaged is the Three Seas Initiative, the priority being the implementation of concrete interconnection projects, in line with the decisions adopted at the Bucharest Summit in September 2018.
In addition to the priority involvement in identifying and implementing the most appropriate approaches in our area of membership, Romania aims, on a broader level, to strengthen relations, including economic ones, with other countries and areas of interest in the world, including Canada, Japan, South Korea, China, India, as well as countries in Central Asia and the Middle East, Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean.
Support for multilateralism, within the UN, OSCE, Council of Europe and other international organizations, also remains a constant feature of Romania’s foreign policy. From this perspective, our country will continue to actively support respect for international law and enhanced dialogue to ensure international stability and security.
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