What Kind of European Future Do Romanians Want?

On the Eve of Elections, Voters and Candidates Alike Are Vague on the Issues

To be Romanian is to live as a denizen of your city or town, of Romania, and of Europe.

In 2024, almost 19 million of us will choose elected officials to represent us at all three of these levels: 33 new members of the European Parliament (MEPs), 3,000 new mayors across Romania, 588 new members of the Romanian Parliament, and 1 new president.

So why is there fatigue, rather than campaign excitement? And are the Romanian and European contests functioning in opposition to each other—distracting citizens from the important issues in both …