Romania ranks 6th in terms of the number of MEPs in the European Parliament, with 33, and what is happening in Bucharest is making waves fairly quickly in Brussels and Strasbourg.
Thus, the announcement that PSD, a member of the Socialists & Democrats (S&D) group in the European Parliament, will form an alliance with AUR, from the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group, to dismiss the pro-European government in Romania, has caused concern and discussions among MEPs.
PSD has 10 MEPs in the European Socialists (S&D) group, while AUR has 6 in the ECR group.
The biggest fear expressed within the huge building corridors in Strasbourg is that Romania may not end up in a deep economic crisis after the political turmoil unfolds.
The issues cannot be overlooked, as our country is the sixth political force in Europe, and any potential blockades, street protests, and confrontations between parties have effects at the level of the entire European Union, in a highly tense period due to the wars in Ukraine and Iran.
"The Social-Democrat Party was forced to leave the government because certain requests that any coalition government should understand, legitimate requests aimed at covering the social-democratic agenda, were not met. This did not happen," said Iratxe García Pérez, the leader of the Socialists group in the European Parliament, in a press conference held in Strasbourg on April 28.
"...that is why our colleagues in Romania have decided, almost unanimously, to withdraw. The leader of the social democrats stated that there will be no agreement with the far right to form a new government... We hope that when there is a new government, it will certainly not include the far right," Ms. Pérez added.
The Visit
On March 26, Sorin Grindeanu, the leader of PSD, paid a visit to Brussels, where he met with Roberta Metsola, the President of the European Parliament, Iratxe García Pérez, the leader of the S&D group, as well as with António Costa, the President of the European Council.
During that visit, Grindeanu was accompanied by MEPs Claudiu Manda and Victor Negrescu. The high-level meetings at the end of March signaled that the PSD delegation had an important message to convey, and today it has been clarified that this consisted of informing European officials that PSD will withdraw from government and likely ally with extremists from AUR to dismiss the government.
From the statement made by Iratxe García Pérez, the S&D leader, in Strasbourg, it emerges that Grindeanu complained that Ilie Bolojan did not accept the social protection measures proposed by PSD, which, in reality, was not true, as they were adopted on April 2 through an emergency ordinance, a few days after Grindeanu's meeting with European leaders.
From the statements and reactions in Strasbourg, it is very difficult for many politicians in the European Parliament to understand the egos in Bucharest and the profound identity crisis that PSD, the state-party that has controlled Romania for almost 37 years, is going through.
The PSD Score Reaches the European Parliament
In a discussion with MEP Claudiu Târziu, a founding member of AUR who left the party a year ago due to disagreements with George Simion, he stated that the only solution is to trigger early elections.
"It is absolutely clear that the parties in Parliament today are no longer supported to the same extent as they were in 2024, during the December elections. The balance of power has changed, and this should be visible both in parliamentary representation and in a new governance," said Claudiu Târziu to spotmedia.ro.
"Unfortunately, this is a step that will deepen the political crisis because, in the event that the motion passes and the current circumstances seem to be heading in that direction, even if we can try to maintain some optimism, the message that Romania will send to foreign markets will be very negative," added Dan Barna, former presidential candidate in Romania.
Concern is the most common sentiment among the politicians interviewed these days in the European Parliament. It even appears among those who gravitate around those who have decided to push Romania onto a new, convoluted, and unknown path.