Romania grapples with tension between national and European identities

A report commissioned by the Romanian Presidency's Strategic Reflection Group, titled “National identity, European identity and the challenge of populism,” was prepared by professors Sergiu Mișcoiu and Silviu Rogobete. The study concludes that national and European identities can coexist and reinforce each other, stating that “the national and European identities do not exclude each other, but can be consolidated together.”

The document highlights that the debate over these identities is heavily politicised, being used as a tool in public discourse. Survey data cited in the report show 69.1% of Romanians would prefer to renegotiate more favourable EU terms, 11.2% support leaving the EU, while 54.9% believe life would worsen if the Union dissolved, compared with 22.4% who think the opposite. The authors argue that the quality of democracy is the key factor that can harmonise the two identities rather than framing them as a zero‑sum game.