After the Russia-Ukraine War, many states in Europe brought forward their perceptions of threats to their national security. That`s why, states have taken various measures. In particular, the European Union (EU) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) have taken some steps to prevent the concerns of actors who perceive the threat. In this context, Romania is one of the countries concerned about Russia’s actions.
As a result of this threat perception, Romania increased its defense expenditures.[1] Because the Bucharest administration is of the opinion that if Russia wins the war in Ukraine, it may have to face serious problems. After the war, the West-Russia rivalry in the Balkan geography increased. In this struggle for influence, NATO comes first among the actors that will limit Russia. In terms of NATO, the position of Romania in the context of the containment policy towards Russia is very important. For this reason, military cooperation and joint exercises between Romania and NATO continue. So, Bucharest wants to increase its deterrence.
Romania, an important NATO member, provides various assistance to Ukraine and supports Kiev. In addition, Romania takes care to position itself next to Moldova. Because there is a serious tendency in Chisinau to connect with Bucharest. The Moscow administration, on the other hand, shows a high level of interest in Transnistria, the separatist region of Moldova. Because of that, Bucharest takes care to position itself next to Chisinau.[2]
In this context, Romania describes the steps taken by Russia as a blow to democracy. In this context, the Bucharest administration, which wants to prevent these steps and create public opinion, is taking various steps. Therefore, it is possible to state that Romania will increase its relations with various states. In fact, Romania’s participation in sanctions against Russia is the outcome of efforts to improve relations at some point.
On the other hand, the Romanian economy was affected by the Russia-Ukraine War, especially in the field of energy. Although the country has taken various steps in this regard, it has not succeeded in neutralizing its energy. For this reason, the Bucharest administration wants to gain economic gain by improving its relations with Europe and the United States of America (USA). As a matter of fact, the European Commission shows the Romanian economy among the fastest growing economies in Europe.[3] This indicates that various efforts of Bucharest will turn into economic gains.
In this sense, Romania aims to reduce the negative effects of the energy crisis by turning to green energy projects and even hydroelectric power plant projects from European funds.[4] All these developments indicate that the Bucharest administration can achieve success in reviving its economy. So Romania can host significant investments.
As a result, the importance of Romania, which is a NATO member, increased after Russia- Ukraine War. Romania is given serious support by both the EU and NATO. Therefore, the alliance relations of Bucharest, whose threat perception has been updated, have also developed. It can be stated that this situation will reflect on Romania’s economic cooperation in the future.
[1] “Romanya Savunma Bakanlığı 150 Adet Daha Piranha 5 Zırhlı Personel Taşıyıcı Satın Alacak”, Romania Insider, https://www.romania-insider.com/romanian-ministry-defense-piranha-armored-vehicles-purchase/, (Date of Accession: 13.02.2023).
[2] “Cumhurbaşkanı Iohannis: Romanya, Dış Tehditlere Karşı Moldova’nın Yanında Yer Alıyor”, Romania Insider, https://www.romania-insider.com/romania-stands-moldova-against-foreign-threats, (Date of Accession: 16.02.2023).
[3] “Ak Kış Tahmini Romanya’yı Avrupa’nın En Hızlı Büyüyen Ekonomileri Arasında Gösteriyor”, Romania Insider, https://www.romania-insider.com/ec-winter-forecast-romania-fast-growing-economy, (Date of Accession: 14.02.2023).
[4] “Güney Romanya’daki 1.5GW PV Parkında Önümüzdeki Baharda Başlayacak”, Romania Insider, https://www.romania-insider.com/works-major-pv-park-southern-romania-spring-2024, (Date of Accession: 13.02.2023).
