Security perception and security policy in Romania since the 1989 Revolution

ABSTRACT

This paper argues that the security perception in Romania has been oriented in the following 30 years after the 1989 Revolution towards a gradually implemented multidimensional approach that can be identified both in the subsequent security strategies and in the national or European public opinion polls. The case study focuses on the perception of the risks and threats affecting both the Romanian society and other countries, the identification of specific patterns, the way in which the security sector has changed over time, and the pace of adapting the security policy to the dynamics of the security environment.

KEYWORDS:

• Security perception
• security sector reform
• security policy
• security risks
• security threats
• defence spending

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes on contributor

Alexandra Sarcinschi is Senior Researcher at the Centre for Defence and Security Strategic Studies from “Carol I” National Defence University, Bucharest, Romania.

Notes

1 Teodor Repciuc, Conceptele securității [The Concepts of Security], (Bucharest: Axioma Print, 2008), 42.

2 Ibid., 43.

3 Marian Zulean, Concepția integrată privind securitatea națională a României [Integrated Concept Regarding The National Security of Romania], http://www.zulean.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/RO-CONCEPTIA-INTEGRATA-1994.pdf

4 Ibid.

5 Repciuc, ‘Conceptele securității.’

6 Presidency of Romania, Strategia de securitate națională a României. Stabilitate democratică, dezvoltare economică durabilă și integrare euro-atlantică [The National Security Strategy of Romania. Evolutions and Trends between Regional and Euro-Atlantic Security] (1999)

7 Government Decree No. 36/2001 (XII. 18.) on Romania’s National Security Strategy.

8 Presidency of Romania, Strategia de securitate naţională a României. România Europeană, România Euro-Atlantică: pentru o viaţă mai bună într-o ţară democratică, mai sigură şi prosperă [The National Security Strategy of Romania. European Romania, Euro-Atlantic Romania: for a better life, in a safer, democratic and prosperous country], (Bucharest, 2006)

9 Government Decree No. 30/2008 (XI. 28.) on Romania’s National Defence Strategy.

10 Presidental Administration of Romania, Strategia națională de apărare a țării pentru perioada 2015-2019. O Românie puternică în Europa și în lume [The National Defence Strategy for the period 2015-2019. A strong Romania in Europe and in the world.] (Bucharest, 2015)

11 Zulean, ‘Concepția integrată.’

12 Repciuc, ‘Conceptele securității.’

13 Barry Buzan, People, States and Fear: An Agenda for International Security Studies in the Post-Cold War Era (Oxford: European Consortium for Political Research, 2014).

14 Paul Robinson, Dictionary of International Security (Oxford: Polity Press, 2010); Barry Buzan, ‘The English School: A Neglected Approach to International Security Studies’, Security Dialogue, 46, no. 2 (2015).

15 Barry Buzan, L. Hansen, The Evolution of International Security Studies (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009), 206; According to Buzan and Hansen, the Critical School has this effect to create a very pessimistic picture of global security, in that it states that the vast majority of states generate insecurity, not stability and prosperity.

16 Marian Zulean, Reforma sistemului de securitate în România (1989-2004) [The Reform of the Security System in Romania (1989–2004)] (Bucharest: Editura Universităţii Naţionale de Apărare „Carol I”, 2005), 8–9.

17 Victor Axenciuc, Produsul Intern Brut al Romaniei 1862 - 2000. Serii statistice seculare si argumente metodologice [Romania’s Gross Domestic Product: 1862–2000. Secular Statistical Series and Methodological Arguments] (Bucharest: Editura Economică, 2012)

18 The European Commission, Standard Eurobarometer 62 (Brussels, 2005), 23. http://ec.europa.eu/commfrontoffice/publicopinion/archives/eb/eb62/eb_62_en.pdf

19 The European Commission, Standard Eurobarometer 88 (Brussels, 2017), 20. http://ec.europa.eu/commfrontoffice/publicopinionmobile/index.cfm/Survey/getSurveyDetail/surveyKy/2143

20 The European Commission, Standard Eurobarometer 62, 23.; The European Commission, Standard Eurobarometer 88, 20.

21 The sources of data are RIES opinion polls: Perceiving security risks in Romania. Actors and institutions, 2011; The perception of security risks and the activity of some institutional actors, 2013; Romania frightened. Perceptions of national security and the incidence of risks, 2015.

22 Presidency of Romania, Strategia națională de apărare. Pentru o Românie care garantează securitatea și prosperitatea generațiilor viitoare [The National Defence Strategy. For Romania which guarantees security and prosperity for future generations] (Bucharest, 2010), 11.

23 Ibid., 5.

24 Government Decree No. 36/2001 (XII. 18.) on Romania’s National Security Strategy.

25 Presidency of Romania, Strategia de securitate naţională, 7.

26 Government Decree No. 30/2008 (XI. 28.) on Romania’s National Defence Strategy.

27 Presidency of Romania, Strategia de securitate, 5.

28 Presidental Administration of Romania, Ghidul Strategiei naționale de apărare a țării pentru perioada 2015-2019 [National Defence Strategy Guide for the period 2015–2019], (Bucharest, 2015), 7.

29 Presidency of Romania, Strategia de securitate.

30 Presidency of Romania, Strategia națională de apărare.

31 Ibid.

32 Ministry of National Defence, Carta albă a apărării [White Paper of Defence], (Bucharest, 2017), 11.

33 Ibid., 15–24.

34 Ibid., 25.

35 Ibid., 25.

36 Ibid., 26.

37 Government Decree No. 708/2016 (X. 7.) for the approval of the Military Strategy of Romania.

38 Romanian Defence Staff, Misiuni internaționale [International Missions] http://smap.mapn.ro/misiuni.php; International Institute for Strategic Studies, The Military Balance (1990-2017) (London: Routledge, 1991–2008), 142.

39 Government Decree No. 121/2011 (VI. 17.) on the Participation of Romanian Armed Forces in Missions and Operations outside the Territory of Romania.

40 Presidental Administration of Romania, Strategia națională, 7.

41 Ibid., 12.

42 Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Parteneriate strategice și relații speciale [Strategic Partnerships and Special Relationships], https://www.mae.ro/node/1861

43 Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Vecinătatea de interes a României ca stat membru UE [Neighbourhood of Romania’s interest as an EU member state]. https://www.mae.ro/taxonomy/term/335/1

44 Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Zona Mării Negre [Black Sea Area], https://www.mae.ro/node/1431

45 Government of Romania, Programul de guvernare 2018–2020 [Governance Program 2018–2020], (Bucharest, 2017).

46 MEDIAFAX, Programul de apărare PESCO al Uniunii Europene şi implicaţiile sale pentru România, analizate astăzi în şedinţa CSAT [The European Union’s PESCO defence program and its implications for Romania, analysed today at the CSAT meeting], (Bucharest, 2017). http://www.mediafax.ro/politic/programul-de-aparare-pesco-al-uniunii-europene-si-implicatiile-sale-pentru-romania-analizate-astazi-in-sedinta-csat-16770377

47 According to The Great National Assembly, Legea nr. 14/1972 privind organizarea apărării naționale a Republicii Socialiste România (Law No. 14/1972 on Organizing the National Defence of the Socialist Republic of Romania), Romanian M. Of., in force since 31. 03. 1973 until 10. 06. 1996. It was repealed and replaced by Law No. 46/1996. (Marea Adunare Națională, Legea nr. 14/1972)

48 Presidental Administration of Romania, Strategia națională.

49 Government Decree No. 708/2016 (X. 7.) for the approval of the Military Strategy of Romania.

50 Ibid.

51 Ibid.

52 Ministry of National Defence, Informații privind bugetul Ministerului Apărării Naționale [Information About The Budget of the National Defence Ministry], http://www.mapn.ro/buget/index.php; NATO, Information on defence expenditures, https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_49198.htm. The data are extracted from the statistics of the Ministry of National Defence for the pre-integration period in NATO (2001-2004) and NATO statistics for the next period (estimate 2005-2017).

53 Presidency of Romania, ‘Acord politic naţional privind creșterea finanţării pentru Apărare’ [The National Political Agreement on the Increase of Defence Funding], (Bucharest, 2015), http://old.presidency.ro/static/Acordul%20politic%20national%20privind%20cresterea%20finantarii%20pentru-%20Aparare.pdf

54 NATO, Information on defence expenditures.

55 Ibid.

56 Government of Romania, Programul de guvernare 2018-2020, 201–205.

57 Ministry of Public Finance, Anexa nr. 3/18. Ministerul Apărării Naționale. Legea bugetului de stat pe anul 2018 [The No. 3/2018 Attachment of the Ministry of National Defence. State budget for 2018] (Bucharest, 2018).