Romanian Nationalism and Position of Ethnic Hungarian Minority in the Process of Romania's European Union Integration

In post-communist era Central and Eastern European countries which were in transition process to democracy and market economy faced significant problems of preserving and improving of minority groups and their rights. In this process, Euro-Atlantic institutions and especially the EU played a crucial role. While candidate countries made improvements in accordance with membership criteria such as democracy and market economy, minority groups contained by candidate countries could consider the EU membership process and membership itself as a means of improving their positions. Economical, political and social problems of transition period and difficulties of realizing the necessary reforms to solve these problems contributed the strengthening of radical nationalist parties. Ethnic Hungarian minority in transition period of Romania managed to join to the political system of Romania by means of membership of coalition governments, and make demands without using any kind of organized violence and escalation. Romanian radical nationalist political parties tend to use discourses such as opposition to globalization, supporting the concept of welfare state and centralization of the state apparatus rather than xenophobia and exclusion of ethnic minorities. The aim of this article is to address the relations of ethnic Hungarian minority with Romanian political system with reference to the EU integration process and analyze the rising of Romanian radical nationalism in a critical perspective. Adapted from the source document.