by Antonia Pup

Status Quo fans, Rent-seekers, or Policy entrepreneurs? In less than two months, the Romanian citizens will elect their new president, marking an end of the 10-years tenure of Iohannis. Given Romania’s governance architecture, the president is at the center of the foreign and security policy ecosystem, with powers in the spectrum of coordinating diplomacy and intelligence services, chairing the Supreme Defense Council of the country and being the supreme commander. The president also represents Romania as a member of the European Council, and the North Atlantic Council.

The offers put forward by the candidates are likely to shape how Romania’s foreign and security policy in the next decade. The stakes, but also the opportunities for Romania to assert itself, are huge, considering the regional trends, the war in Ukraine, and the reform process of the European Union. In this article, I have analyzed the sectorial offers of the first 5 competitors, labeling them according to their substance and degree of ambition to modernize Romania’s foreign policy toolbox.

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