Dear friends of the European Parliamentary Association,

The European Parliamentary Association is glad to invite you to a public debate in English entitled “The presidential election in Romania: A test for Romania, a wake-up call for Europe?”, which will take place on Tuesday 17 June, from 20:00 to 21:15, in the villa of our Association (76 allée de la Robertsau, Strasbourg).

To participate in this event, please fill in this form: https://forms.gle/nZZijMJzRMRE1c4L7

On this occasion, we will have the pleasure of welcoming three Members of the European Parliament from Romania as guest speakers:

• Victor Negrescu, from the Social Democratic Party, part of the S&D Group in the European Parliament. He currently serves as one of the Parliament’s Vice-Presidents.
• Loránt Vincze, representing the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania, affiliated with the European People’s Party. He is his group’s Coordinator in the Committee on Constitutional Affairs.
• Vlad Voiculescu, from the Save Romania Union, a party closely linked to President Nicușor Dan and part of the Renew Europe Group. A former Minister of Health, he was elected to the European Parliament in 2024.

 

On 18 May, Nicușor Dan, a pro-European independent and mayor of Bucharest, defeated nationalist George Simion in Romania’s presidential election. The vote followed the cancellation of the original 2024 election due to alleged Russian interference and the disqualification of pro-Russian candidate Călin Georgescu.

Although it is partly a ceremonial role, the president has a significant influence on Romania’s foreign and security policy, which is crucial for the EU given that Romania borders Ukraine and is a key NATO ally.

Nicușor Dan’s win signals a shift towards Europe, but key questions remain: What does this mean for Romania’s future, its role in the EU, and regional stability? And what can Europe learn from Romania’s democratic stress test?

This debate is organised in collaboration with the Young Europeans of Strasbourg, who will enrich the discussion by hosting two pre-debate workshops at 19:30 on the following topics:

• Democracy in the age of online manipulation: After Romania, could it happen again?
• The rise of independent candidates in Romania: a sign of a party system crisis or democratic renewal?

 

These workshops will not only be an opportunity to look at the issue from a particular point of view, but also to brainstorm together and come up with concrete questions that will be put to the MEPs during the debate.

The debate will be followed by a cocktail reception.

This event is supported by the City of Strasbourg, the Collectivité européenne d'Alsace, the Région Grand Est and the Préfecture de la Région Grand Est.