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Next year, Romania and Bulgaria will celebrate the 20th anniversary of their accession to the European Union. Yet in both countries, many people do not feel like celebrating. Many long for the “good old days” and vote for pro-Russian parties. In Bulgaria, a pro-Russian party has even governed with an absolute majority in parliament since this spring. In Romania, the pro-Russian far-right extremist Calin Georgescu almost became president at the end of 2024. He praises Romania’s fascists of the Second World War as heroes. He describes Vladimir Putin as a “leader type” and a true patriot who loves his own country and defends it by all means necessary. Georgescu is still being discussed as a future prime minister.
An EU Anniversary Without Celebration: The Longing for the “Good Old Days”
Hardly any other country of the former Eastern Bloc suffered as much under the consequences of communism after the Second World War as Romania. Dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu had an absurdly gigantic palace built for himself while many of his subjects suffered from hunger. The secret police, the Securitate, controlled every part of society and murdered around 10,000 of its own citizens. When the tyrant Ceaușescu was overthrown at Christmas 1989, emaciated children were found in orphanages, lying in beds without sheets in their own excrement.
Why Romania and Bulgaria Were Accepted into the EU Despite Not Being Ready
Then everything moved very quickly. After the Yugoslav wars of the 1990s, the European Union wanted to establish a permanent zone of security and stability in Southeastern Europe. Romania and Bulgaria were geographically considered indispensable buffer states. The United States exerted strong pressure to ensure that all European democracies from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea became part of Euro-Atlantic institutions.
And so, both countries were admitted to the European Union as early as 2007, even though their institutions were clearly not yet ready for EU membership. Brussels turned a blind eye in the hope that these countries would “automatically” turn away from Moscow and toward Europe.
Political Crisis in Bulgaria: Eight Elections in Five Years
Today, almost twenty years later, that hope is fading in both countries. Both states are trapped in a spiral of failed governments and repeat elections. Bulgaria has held eight parliamentary elections in the last five years. In April, the pro-Russian party Progressive Bulgaria (PB), led by Prime Minister Rumen Radev, won an absolute majority in parliament.
Romanian politics is also marked by extreme instability. Over the past ten years, the country has had just as many governments or prime ministers, partly due to no-confidence votes and cabinet reshuffles. Just a few days ago, the pro-European government of Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan collapsed after less than a year in office. The trigger was austerity measures. Romania has the highest budget deficit in the EU. Bolojan wanted to correct this so that his country could receive around 10 billion euros from the European Recovery and Resilience Facility.
To bring down Bolojan, the Social Democrats (PSD) voted together with the far-right party (AUR): the Social Democrats, who were actually part of the governing coalition, joined forces with the far-right opposition to topple their own prime minister. Politics as a farce. Party privileges are more important than the future of the country. And almost as a side effect, the Social Democrats are tearing down the firewall against the far right.
Corruption and Power Struggles Prevent Reforms in Romania and Bulgaria
Both Romania and Bulgaria are struggling with a combination of systemic corruption, weak rule of law, and highly fragmented party systems that lead to unstable coalitions. Again and again, governments are brought down whenever they attempt to implement reforms — especially when they threaten the privileges of vested interests.
Parties frequently change coalition partners in order to remain in power. This leads to “unholy” alliances that rarely last long. Vote-buying and election manipulation are widespread. Debates over fair elections are a constant issue, weakening the legitimacy of new governments from the very beginning.
In addition, Bulgaria and Romania have by far the highest inflation rates in Europe. Bulgaria’s inflation rate currently stands at 6.2 percent, while Romania’s is as high as 9 percent. Romania’s national currency, the leu, fell to a record low after the collapse of the Bolojan government.
The path toward greater political stability can be formulated quickly: both countries would above all need to fight pervasive corruption, depoliticize state institutions, and restore public trust in democracy. It sounds simple, but at the moment it seems almost impossible.
Democracy Requires Compromise: The Great Challenge for Southeastern Europe
Ultimately, the issue is that people in Romania and Bulgaria need to learn coalition-building. Political elites often block each other because of personal feuds. Stability would require a willingness to make democratic compromises — cooperation between people with different interests and goals.
The challenge is to form stable coalitions instead of constantly holding new elections whose results fail to produce solutions. Yet today, both countries seem almost as far away from that goal as they were when they joined the EU 20 years ago.
