ABSTRACT
Romania became an EU member in January 2007. While this is a notable success – considering the country’s situation back in the late 1980s – accession implied a very slow process of internal transformations and democratic rule of law reforms. The continuous predominance of former Communist elites and their reluctance to promote significant reforms during the first years of transition led to the emergence and consolidation of strong veto players that opposed any meaningful reform for years. Consequently, Romania remained a laggard in its transition to democracy and EU integration, compared with other post-Communist countries that joined the EU in 2004.
