This project has received funding from the European Research Council under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme
(Grant Agreement n. 669194)
According to Romanian law, all central and local state institutions were subordinated to the party and its leadership and were requested to follow the party policy in all domestic and foreign matters. The same people were usually rotated around the seats not only of the party’s executive bodies but of different state institutions as well. In the late 1960s and during the 1970s, specialists in different institutions were asked to draw up studies and to gather information on the European Economic Community (EEC) and its impact on Romania’s economic interests, and to propose the best course of action for Romania to take to secure its interests. Diplomats and commercial experts in Romanian embassies and economic agencies abroad, foreign trade specialists in the Ministry of Foreign Trade and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, experts in international finance or international law in the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Justice and the National Bank, economists in different economic ministries, the State Planning Committee and the Chamber of Commerce were asked to bring their inputs on the matter. As Romania’s relations with the ECC involved many different fields, specialists from various institutions (the Ministry of Light Industry, the Ministry of the Chemical Industry, the Ministry of Transportation, the Ministry of the Metallurgy Industry, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, the Governmental Commission of Economic and Technical Collaboration and Cooperation, the State Planning Committee and the Institute for the Study of the International Economic Situation, etc.) were involved in the process. Proposals were often drafted jointly by specialists in several ministries who had similar or overlapping competences. For instance, the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Foreign Trade, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, National Bank of Romania and the Romanian Bank for Foreign Trade were all involved in making proposals regarding Romania’s legislation on foreign trade and financial relations with foreign entities.
From Romania’s embassy in Rome, Cornel Burtică argued that Romania should consider concluding technical agreements on products with the EEC Commission, following the examples of Poland and Bulgaria, rather than insisting on concluding bilateral agreements with the EEC’s member states. Similar proposals were also made by diplomats and economic experts in Brussels (Alexandru Lăzăreanu, Andrei Șerban and Ștefan Niță), who, however, took a step forwards and argued that Romania should approach the EEC at two levels: through bilateral contacts with EEC member states and through direct contacts with its institutions.
In November 1970s, drawing on reports and information gathered from different channels, Cornel Burtică (now Minister of Foreign Trade), Corneliu Mănescu (Minister of Foreign Affairs) and Ion Pățan (Vice President of the Council of Ministers) jointly signed Romania’s strategy towards the EEC. This proposal envisioned three actions: establishing direct relations with the EEC institutions; appealing to different international organisations, such as the GATT or UNCTAD, to support Romania’s EEC-related goals; and blocking any attempt by the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (CMEA) at formulating a common policy towards the EEC. Within the CMEA, Romania’s representative Gheorghe Rădulescu argued that relations with the EEC had to be carried out at two levels: direct relations between each CMEA member state and the EEC institutions to address concrete problems, and contacts between the CMEA Secretariat and the EEC institutions to create a general favourable context to allow direct relations between CMEA states and EEC institutions.
Besides its complete subordination to the party, another characteristic of the Romanian state apparatus lay in its continual reformation and restructuring. The structure of the government often changed: new ministries were created, former ministries were merged, commissions and committees were established, legislation was adopted or revised. Moreover, the competences of one institution often overlapped with the competences of another, which created additional problems in a system that was already highly bureaucratic. The decision-making process was hierarchically organised. Low-level experts or groups of specialists from different institutions made proposals on general or specific matters. These proposals were then analysed, revised and approved by deputy directors, directors, deputy ministers or ministers. A vice-president of the Council of Ministers could follow in the chain of decisions and then a secretary of the Central Committee. The final decision would belong to the Permanent Presidium of the Executive Committee of the Central Committee of the party and particularly to Nicolae Ceaușescu himself, who could accept, reject or indicate revisions of the proposals received.
*This text summarises some of the research findings of PanEur1970s team member Elena Dragomir, which are published as a chapter in PanEur1970s’ academic edited book. For a link to the e-book, please see Romania’s “Overview” webpage of this map.
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Note of proposals regarding the conclusion of arrangements on agricultural products between Romania and the EEC countries
AMAE, Fond 1970, Problem 241/2C52/1970, Common Market, Belgium, p. 2-4 | 5/05.01.1970
Note of proposals regarding the conclusion of arrangements on agricultural products between Romania and the EEC countries. It discusses the examples provided by Hungary and Poland in this regards. - Available only in the Archive: https://www.mae.ro |
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Note of proposals regarding Romania’s strategy in its relations with the Common Market (EEC)
AMAE, Fond 1973, File 4977/1973, p. 106-111 | 0023.333/20.03.1973
Available only in the Archive: https://www.mae.ro |
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Note regarding Romania's relations with the Common Market member states after 1 January 1975
AMAE, Fond 1974, File 5845/1974, p. 62-66 | 04/01228/31.12.1974
Available only in the Archive: https://www.mae.ro |
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Study on new forms of Romania’s commercial relations with the countries of the Common Market (EEC)
AMAE, Fond 1974, File 5845/1974, p. 67-202 | 025495/19.06.1974
Available only in the Archive: https://www.mae.ro |
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Alexandru Lăzăreanu to Cornel Pacoste (Deputy Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs) and Constantin Stanciu (Deputy Minister, Ministry of Foreign Trade), telegram
AMAE, Fond 1975, File 5813/1975, p. 3 | 023089/06.02.1975
Reports on the talks between Lăzăreanu and P. T. Iljevic, Ambassador of Yugoslavia at the EEC. The two discussed about the works of the joint Commission Yugoslavia-EEC. - Available only in the Archive: https://www.mae.ro |
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Note
AMAE, Fond 1977, File 3721/1977, p. 2-4
Note of proposals regarding the opening of the official negotiations between Romania and the EEC in July 1977. - Available only in the Archive: https://www.mae.ro |
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Telegram no 025550/22.12.1978, Iulian Văcărel (Romania's Ambassador in Brussels) to Cornel Burtică (Deputy prime minister) and Ștefan Andrei (Minister of Foreign Affairs) regarding Romania-EEC relations
AMAE, Fond 1978, File 3307, p. 64-69 | 025550/22.12.1978
Available only in the Archive: https://www.mae.ro |
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The implications of the Common Market over the economic exchanges of the Socialist Republic of Romania with the EEC countries and proposals regarding measures to counteract unfavourable effects of this economic grouping
AMAE, Problem 241/ 2C52/1971, Regional Economic Organizations, vol. 2, p. 42-98 | 0131/31.03.1970
Alexandru Lăzăreanu to Cornel Vladu (Director in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs) - Available only in the Archive: https://www.mae.ro |
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Note regarding the proposals of the Romanian Embassy in Rome concerning some problems of the Romanian exports in the Common Market states
AMAE, Problem 241/2C52/1968, Common Market, vol. I, p. 148-155
Gheorghe Cioară (Minister of Foreign Trade) to Ilie Verdeț (First Vicepresident of the Council of Ministers). This note accepts most of Burtică's proposals from 15 June 1968. It takes into consideration the example offered by Poland's technical agreements on agricutural products. - Available only in the Archive: https://www.mae.ro |
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Study: The Common Market
AMAE, Problem 241/2C52/1968, Common Market, vol. I, p. 16-81 | 45/26.01.1968
It presents the EEC's evolution and makes proposals regarding Romania's policy towards the Common Market. - Available only in the Archive: https://www.mae.ro |
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Cornel Burtică to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Telegram
AMAE, Problem 241/2C52/1968, Common Market, vol. I, p. 228-232 | 81296/15.06.1968
Contains proposals regarding Romania's approach to the EEC. It takes into consideration the example offered by Poland's technical agreements on agricutural products. - Available only in the Archive: https://www.mae.ro |
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The High Level Reunion of the Common Market member countries (The Hague, 1-2 December 1969)
AMAE, Problem 241/2C52/1969, Belgium, p. 125-168 | 11/03875
Drafted on the basis of the information received from various Romanian missions abroad (Brussels, Koln, The Hague, Paris, London etc.). It includes a part on the impact of the EEC's policies on the interests of the third countries. Published in the Bulletine of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (in 50 copies, all) distributed to: the members of the Permanent Presidium of the CC, Manea Mănescu (Vicepresident of the State Council), Ion Pățan (Vicepresident of the Council of Ministers), the Foreign Relations Section of the CC of the RCP (no name provided), Cornel Burtică (Minister of Foreign Trade), the president of the Chamber of Commerce of Romania (no name provided), Radu Constantinescu (Vicepresident of the Guvernmental Commission of Economic and Technical Collaboration and Cooperation), the leadership of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and different departments of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 18 diplomatic missions abroad including (London, Paris, the Hague, Brussels, Koln, Rome, Vienna, Berlin, Moscow, Belgrade, etc.). - Available only in the Archive: https://www.mae.ro |
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Telegran to Cornel Burtică Minister of Foreign Trade) and George Macovescu (Minister of Foreign Affairs)
AMAE, Problem 241/2C52/1969, Belgium, p. 25-32 | 19338/20.09.1969
It reports on the sesssion of the EEC's Council from 15 September 1969. Makes proposals regarding Romania's approach to the EEC. - Available only in the Archive: https://www.mae.ro |
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Telegram, George Elian to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
AMAE, Problem 241/2C52/1969, Belgium, p. 73-77 | 32397/02/12.1969
Reports on the EEC meeting at the Hague from 1-2 December 1969. - Available only in the Archive: https://www.mae.ro |
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Note: The advantages and disadvantages of a possible conclusion of a commercial agreement between Romania and the EEC
AMAE, Problem 241/2C52/1971, Regional Economic Organizations, vol.2, p. 101-133 | 0161/30.07.1970
Alexandru Lăzăreanu, Ștefan Niță, Andrei Șerban to Corneliu Mănescu (Minister of Foreign Affairs). - Available only in the Archive: https://www.mae.ro |
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Note regarding the conclusion of the Commercial Agreement between Yugoslavia and EEC
AMAE, Problem 241/2C52/Common Market, Belgium, p. 43-53 | 40028/23.03.1970
It presents in detail the stipulations of the agreement concluded on 19 February 1970 between Yugoslavia and the EEC, the advantages Yugoslavia obtained through this agreement. It makes proposals regarding Romania's export in the EEC countries, based on 'our experience' and the 'experience of Yugoslavia'. The note mentions a list of attachments (the agreement between Yugoslavia and the EEC, the letters, the press communique), which are missing from the file though. - Available only in the Archive: https://www.mae.ro |
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Note regarding the participation of the Romanian delegation at the GATT conference (Tokyo, 12-14 September 1973)
ANIC, CC of RCP, Economic Section, File 61/1973, 173-178 | 4136/15.08.1973
Available only in the Archive: http://arhivelenationale.ro |
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Note on Romania’s Strategy Regarding the Economic Relations with the Common Market, 26 November 1970
ANIC, CC of RCP, Office, File 24/1971, p. 149-158 | 316/06.03.1971
The Strategy takes into consideration the recommendations and proposals of the Romanian diplomats in Brussels. It was approved by the Permanent Presidium in February 1971 - Available only in the Archive: http://arhivelenationale.ro |
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Note regarding the conditions of Romania’s adhering to the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank
ANIC, CC of RCP, Office, File 97/1972, p. 12-31 | 2333/20.07.1972
It proposed the beginning of the negotiations for Romania's adhering to the IMF and IBRD. The Note was approved in the meeting of the Permanent Presidium from 21 August 1972. - Available only in the Archive: http://arhivelenationale.ro |
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Protocol no 24 of the meeting of the Permanent Presidium from 21 August 1972
ANIC, CC of RCP, Office, File 97/1972, p. 3-7
The Permanent Presidium approved the above proposal regarding the starting of Romania's negotiations to adhere to the IMF and IBRD. Members of the Permanent Presidium participating at the meeting: Nicolae Ceaușescu, Ion Gheorghe Maurer, Manea Mănescu, Gheorghe Rădulescu, Virgil Trofin, Ilie Verdeț. Other people invited to take part in the meeting: Cornel Burtică, Ion Pățan, Corneliu Mănescu, Florea Dumitrescu. - Available only in the Archive: http://arhivelenationale.ro |
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Note on the creation of the Party and State Commission regarding the problems of the economic relations between Romania and the Common Market
ANIC, CMEA, Foreign Trade Permanent Commission, I, File 130/1972, p. 186-194 | 026634/06.07.1973
Available only in the Archive: http://arhivelenationale.ro |
