The impact of the Europeanization process on state-industry interaction in Romania

Abstract

This article argues that potential EU membership can function as a powerful impulse for the modernization of the economic, political and social systems of candidate countries. To illustrate this, evidence of the transformations of the Romanian state-societal interactions in the transition period are discussed, with special focus on privatization, enterprise restructuring and competition policy. The article also explains why the Europeanization process has so far worked more slowly and less effectively in Romania than in other Central and Eastern European countries. This analysis could be used as a learning experience for prospective EU members to adjust to the European environment.