Catherine Lovatt's articles analyse and explain events in today's Romania. She has focused on Romania's hopes of NATO and EU entry in particular.
Volume 3
2 April 2001
"Slobo! We will never give you up!"
News of the alleged arrest of Slobodan Milošević brings out his faithful supporters.
5 March 2001
Voting Red
Moldovans re-elect the Communists in hopes they will drive the country forward.
19 February 2001
Curtain Call for Kuchma?
Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma faces his toughest challenge to date.
Volume 2
11 December 2000
All Change?
The Balkans have been a hive of electoral activity, but has anything really changed?
4 December 2000
Glutton for Punishment
With Romanians choosing between a former Communist and an ultranationalist for president, a new pariah of Europe may be just around the corner.
27 November 2000
The Body of a Woman
A review of Matei Visniec's play examining the role of women during the Bosnian conflict.
6 November 2000
Inching towards Independence
As Ibrahim Rugova secures election victory, the once unthinkable idea of Kosovan independence now seems feasible—even in the West.
9 October 2000
Separated at Birth?
The revolution in Yugoslavia bears some similarity to Romania's revolution. Is Milošević, like Ceauşescu, a man without a chance?
2 October 2000
Mistrusting the Neighbours
Whatever the final outcome of the Yugoslav elections, Romania will set its foreign policy sights on the West.
18 September 2000
Legalizing Sex
With elections around the corner, who will support the new law legalizing homosexuality in Romania?
10 July 2000
The Next Balkan Conflict?
Montenegro may be the next obstacle in the path of Serbia.
26 June 2000
Championship Politics
While Romanians may excel at football, their politicians are just not good enough.
12 June 2000
Apathy and Confusion
The opposition PDSR has taken advantage of a low turnout in the Romanian local elections.
29 May 2000
Looking after the Family Silver
Romania gets its own National Trust to protect historic buildings and landmarks.
22 May 2000
Parisian Scandal
The biggest political scandal since Communism is now rocking Romania.
9 May 2000
Romania: Long road to reform
Time is not on Romania's side as the government pushes for reform.
2 May 2000
Think Global, Vote Local
June's local elections in Romania will be a trial run for the country's general elections in November.
17 April 2000
Securitate Shuffle
A new law further opens up the old files of the hated secret police. But just try getting the goods on a public official.
10 April 2000
Beyond Dracula
The Romanian tourist industry should rely on more than just legends to lure visitors.
3 April 2000
The Red Line
Issues of espionage have been resurrected, and two front-runners in the presidential election race could see their credibility diminish dramatically.
27 March 2000
Asylum Seekers in Britain
Romanians, and Britons alike, have responded with a similar attitude to the "problem of the begging Roma." They take our money, pollute our streets, hound us, but to associate the actions of a few with the many would be a mistake.
20 March 2000
Western Help in Romania
Ten years after their revolution, Romanians find themselves largely reliant on outside assistance and pursuing a goal that would have been inconceivable a decade ago—European Union membership.
13 March 2000
Petre Roman in London
On his recent visit to London, Romanian Foreign Minister Petre Roman convincingly portrayed Romania in a positive light while accepting that improvements are still necessary. However, his "sale of Romania" left much unexplained.
6 March 2000
The Dirtiest Election
Election campaigns are normally messy, but Romania appears to be taking this to the extreme as allegations over assassination plots and the involvement of the Securitate fly.
28 February 2000
Convention Chaos
Last week's Democratic Party Convention in Romania gave overwhelming support to Foreign Minister Petre Roman's party manifesto, but also resulted in the resignation of six leading PD members and parliamentary chaos.
21 February 2000
Gold and Cyanide
The cyanide spill into the Tisza River has had immediate and obvious environmental consequences. Romania's bid to enter the EU may also have been affected.
14 February 2000
Anglo-Romanian Relations
Romanian President Emil Constantinescu has been invited to meet the Queen as Romanian-British relations improve in the push for European Union enlargement.
7 February 2000
Romania's EU Leap
Despite civil uneasiness and economic frailty, Romania has made a leap forward in her EU accession prospects with the European Union proposal to remove Romania from the "visa list."
24 January 2000
2000: Year of Eminescu
The year 2000 has been crowned a year in memory of the Romanian poet Mihai Eminescu.
17 January 2000
Regional Politics and Instability
A plethora of parties in Romania often renders the democratic workings of government immobile.
10 January 2000
The Yuletide Collapse
Romania's Prime Minister was dismissed in an extraordinary and allegedly unconstitutional manner.
Volume 1
13 December 1999
Romania's Hardships
Despite economic collapse, political instability and civil unrest not
everything is negative.
6 December 1999
Political Turmoil in Moldova
Moldova is a state hounded by instability and infighting.
29 November 1999
Re-defining East and West
H J Mackinder's "heartland" theory has been used to explain the
geopolitics of much of the 20th century. Did 1989 throw a spanner in the
works?
22 November 1999
Restless in Romania
Romania is gripped by strikes and public protests—and not for the
first time.
8 November 1999
Hungarian University in Transylvania
The debate about the re-creation of the Hungarian Bolyai
University began in 1997, raising issues of national identity, ethnicity
and minority rights.
1 November 1999
The Welcome Refugees
The West was rather more liberal in opening its borders after the 1956
Hungarian exodus than it is in most refugee crises.
25 October 1999
The Mioritic Space
A look at poet and philosopher Lucien Blaga's attempts to define notions of "Romanianness" through a complex and mystical theory of cultural influences and collective unconsciousness.
18 October 1999
The Carpathian Godfathers
Local businessmen and mafia gangs have come into violent conflict in Brasov.
11 October 1999
Ten Years after What?
President Emil Constantinescu controversially declared that the collapse of Communism "meant no revolution."
4 October 1999
Fishing for a Marshall Plan
Romania has developed a programme which they hope will help bring stability and security to the Balkans.
27 September 1999
Tolerant Transylvania
Transylvania proves not to be the hotbed of ethnic conflict that some predicted.
20 September 1999
Waiting for the Pay-back
Romania is still waiting to reap the rewards of its support of the NATO bombing campaign of Yugoslavia.
13 September 1999
ROMANIA: An der schoenen, braunen Donau
Once a thriving ecosystem, the Danube River has become a cancerous brown scar across Eastern Europe.
6 September 1999
Moldova: Barely a state
Sandwiched between Romania and Ukraine, politically unstable Moldova finds itself economically dependent on outside support and in a vulnerable position.
30 August 1999
The Failure of Pure Democracy
The extremes of the Romanian political spectrum are crippling democracy.
23 August 1999
Ceausescu's Return
In a symbolic attempt to disassociate Romania from the Ceausescu era, many of the Ceausescu possessions have been auctioned.
16 August 1999
Eclipsing Romania's Woes
Two Minutes and Twenty-Three Seconds Superstition and science joined together for the total eclipse in Romania, as the country was distracted for a few minutes from its economic and political problems.
9 August 1999
Gay Outlaws in Romania
With same-sex relationships against the law, Romania's attitude to homosexuality is decidedly puritan.
9 August 1999
Actions Speak Louder than Words
Using a mixture of music, dance and mime Toujours L'Amour delivers a humorous exploration of love and relationships.
2 August 1999
Surviving on Schlock
Surviving only with the help of foreign investment many potential Romanian TV productions are lost in a sea of American leftovers.
26 July 1999
Romania's Only Way Ahead
Romania caught between pleasant-sounding political guarantees abroad and economic chaos at home.
19 July 1999
Romanian Economy in Crisis
Romania's economic woes mount.
12 July 1999
The Legacy of Elena Ceausescu
No one has ever really taken her place in Romanian politics.
12 July 1999
Iron Guard Revival
A revival of the interwar fascist movement in Romania.
5 July 1999
Romania's Partial Progress on Minority Issues
Romania has been tagged as a shining example, but...
28 June 1999
A "New Marshall Plan" for Europe
Is a 52-year-old idea the best solution for the Balkans today?
Volume 0
7 June 1999
Is Romania's Government Crumbling?
Public confidence in government is dwindling and the economy is only getting worse.
3 May 1999
Romanian and the Kosova Crisis
Romania, the Kosovo crisis and NATO membership.
8 March 1999
King Coal and His Miners
Srtiking coal miners are nothing new in Romania.
22 February 1999
Kosovan Independence?
The conflict in Kosova has reached a crucial turning point.
