Mihnea Motoc, Romanian Ambassador to the EU, talks about raising the profile of Romania in Europe.
European Times: What are the most important milestones of your diplomatic career?
Mihnea Motoc: My first Ambassadorship to The Hague greatly influenced my current views on many issues. I was then extremely fortunate to serve as State Secretary for Multilateral Affairs at the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, mainly working to bring Romania into the Euro-Atlantic Community. Between 2003 and 2008, I was honoured to represent my country at the United Nations. I was privileged to sit on, and twice preside over, the Security Council. Subsequently, I was entrusted with the task of representing Romania at the EU.
European Times: How do you react to the perception that Romania supports high levels of corruption?
Mihnea Motoc: Romania is not challenge-free in this respect, but it has developed one of the toughest legal regimes against corruption, conflict of interest and incompatibilities in Europe. Suspicion of fraud, whether it involves Romanian or other European taxpayers’ money, is not going to be brushed aside. Ever remaining an idealist, I expect fraud to be gone for good one day, in Romania, as well as throughout Europe. In the meantime, we should expect severe deterrence and acknowledge corruption where we see it at work.
European Times: What is your view upon the Schengen issues faced by Romania?
Mihnea Motoc: Romania has been thoroughly tested and found entirely Schengen-ready. Daily life inside the Schengen Area is not going to change in any way, other than for the better, after Romania joins. Nothing is to be gained by keeping a Member State like Romania out of Schengen, but a lot is to be gained by bringing it in.
European Times: How can the image of Romania be improved in Europe?
Mihnea Motoc: It takes time for the image of a country to evolve and it does not happen overnight. There will still be some time before the last scar of more than four decades of Communism heals away in both individuals and society in my country. On the other hand, even during those difficult times and certainly ever since that regime imploded, Romanians always looked westward, and felt and acted like having always partaken in the European history, culture, mentalities, values and fate.
Romania is a vibrant economy for some time now, with a growth rate of currently over 4%, which, along with the fact that it is based on sound macroeconomics and careful financial discipline, makes it one of the less known, but genuinely success stories of these later years of turmoil. While still pursuing the kind of growth that would bring about convergence with Europe’s optimal development, carrying on with the right mix of policies will very likely make Romania an even larger economic, business and investment attraction in Europe.
Politically, Romania brings to the European table a unique level of confidence in the European idea – support for, and trust in, the EU, is still solidly majoritarian, whilst aggregated forms of Euro scepticism or extremism are yet to appear in Romania.
European Times: What is your personal message for the readers of European Times, both in Romania and EU?
Mihnea Motoc: Take the time of a longer, deeper, and more balanced look at what Romania is really all about, for it will have a lot of sound optimism and positive energy to contribute to a stronger, more self-confident Europe.
