The President who turned Romanian diplomacy into dust

Photo source: Tudor Bercea
Back in 2009, Klaus Iohannis, the child of Transylvanian Saxons, seemed, at first, an unlikely candidate for the presidency of Romania. A quiet, non-problematic physics teacher who, according to his opponents, was unremarkable as mayor of Sibiu. No children, Lutheran, and with a name that sounds anything but Romanian! A recipe for failure, surely! Not even close…
Iohannis’s popularity with the Romanian people seemed to match that of his locals from the small town of Sibiu, who elected him four times in a row to serve as their mayor. Running on a platform of anti-corruption and reform, promising to bring stability and prosperity to the country, certainly helped. But if you were to ask Romanians why they voted for him, they would tell you that they felt Iohannis brought a certain “German je ne sais quoi,”, an air of impeccable diplomacy that they saw in other prominent world leaders. They craved to be represented by a president who is fluent in three languages, is well educated, and has no corruption scandals. So, they were willing to turn a blind eye to the fact that, breaking away from Romanian deep-seeded tradition, they were about to elect a non-Orthodox president, who seemed to hold a bigger ethnic and nationalistic adherence to Germany than to his own country.
In 2014, he received 30.37% of the votes in the first round, finishing second and consequently qualifying for the second round of the presidential elections. In the second round, on November 16, he was elected President of Romania with 54.43% of the cast ballots. And they elected him again in 2019.
Now, as his second and final mandate is nearing its end, we’re wondering: Was Iohannis all smoke and mirrors? The answer seems to be a resounding yes! But the saying goes, “Fool me once, shame on you..fool me twice, shame on me! Could that be what Romanians think today of their once (or should we say twice) beloved choice to run their country?
Strike one: COVID-19 was the first BIG red flag!
Well into Klaus Iohannis’s second mandate, Romanians turned to their president for guidance, support and strength during a worldwide epidemic. By 2019, although re-elected, the President was not so beloved anymore. Papers and people alike buzzed on the fact that his air of diplomacy turned out to be indifference, or maybe, even worse, lack of spine. His failure to implement reforms was hitting the population in the face, and a cold, harsh question lingered in the back of everyone’s minds: could the truth be that they had, twice in a row, made a mistake?
COVID-19 brought misery to the entire globe, but for Klaus Iohannis, it could have been his chance to shine and rekindle the love Romanians had for him. Romanians were still holding on to hope. But Iohannis ghosted them.
From holding little to no press conferences to address the population, to offering short, cold and oftern contradictory responses, leading to confusion and uncertainty about the government’s response. People started critizicing their president from the very start, stating that his messaging was seen as being overly authoritarian or insensitive to the concerns of ordinary Romanians.
Opposition parties and civil society groups demanded greater transparency and accountability in the government’s response to the crisis. There have been reports of police brutality and excessive use of force in enforcing the restrictions, leading to concerns about human rights violations. Additionally, some have accused President Iohannis of not doing enough to protect the rights of vulnerable populations, such as the Roma minority. In a statement in May 2021, European Commission Vice President Vera Jourova criticized Romania’s handling of the pandemic, stating that “we have been calling on Romania to be more transparent and to have a clearer strategy, but unfortunately, we have seen little progress in this regard.”
And, finally, like in a lot of relationships, money was the main root of discord between the president and his people. The restrictions imposed in response to the pandemic have had a significant impact on businesses and individuals. In a statement in August 2021, the Romanian Association of Small and Medium Enterprises criticized the government’s response to the crisis, stating that “the measures taken by the authorities did not sufficiently support the business environment, and the economic impact of the pandemic has been devastating.”
Despite all of this, one of the key successes of President Iohannis’ response has been the relatively low number of COVID-19 cases and deaths in Romania, compared to other European countries. As of September 2021, Romania has recorded around 1.1 million cases and 34,000 deaths, which, while still significant, is lower than many other countries in the region. Vaccinated, un-restricted and..alive, most Romanians chose, therefore, once again, to forgive and forget the mishaps of their president.
But there’s nothing like a good ol’ Schengen rejection to wake you up!
Strike 2: Schengen goes bye-bye
A bit of drama is normal in any relationship. But what happens when the drama is brought by a third party who offends your beloved, strips her of fundamental rights and completely humiliates her? The party in question is Austria, and the beloved is, of course Klaus Iohannis’s Romania.
A bit of context is needed here, before we dive in. Romania has been seeking entry into the Schengen Area for several years, but despite meeting the necessary criteria, it has been repeatedly denied. Romanians thought 2022 was the year their luck will turn. But, in a dramatic turn of events, Austria blocked the decision. Austria’s opposition, which has surprised many in Brussels, as it only seem to emerge in the weeks prior to the vote, is based on, what they say is a new influx of asylum-seekers through the Western Balkan route.“The system is currently not working. Austria got (this year) more than 100,000 illegal border crossings, 75,000 of them not registered, although we are inland country, in the middle of Europe – in the middle of the Schengen countries,” said Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner.
Bucharest vehemently countered Vienna’s claims, arguing Romania is not part of the Western Balkan route and that, several reports issued by the European Commission and fact-finding missions of experts have proven the country is well prepared to manage its external borders. But the damage was done.
The government and president said they were taken aback by Austria’s veto, and Klaus Iohannis declared that “we are negotiating until the very last moment”. Yet, it seems unnatural that the Romanian authorities did not learn about the Austrian opposition earlier, for example from secret service reports, in such a way that they could prepare their defense, send their lawyers for mediation, or put their diplomats to work!
On November 18, ahead of the final vote, the Austrian Minister of the Interior, Gerhard Karner, declared that Austria opposes Romania’s accession to Schengen, on the grounds that his country would be overwhelmed by immigrants coming through Romania. Which seemed to be just a pretext, because on November 21, he had a meeting with Alfred Stern, the executive president of OMV, whom Klaus Iohannis is said to have asked to urgently start investing in the Black Sea. “See you in the summer”, was the message sent by the Austrian delegation. Immediately the next day, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer also went public, strengthening Vienna’s veto position against Romania’s accession to the Schengen Area of Free Circulation. So Austria’s veto was to be expected, despite the fact that Austrian businesses are blooming in…Romania!
OMV-Petrom has reported a profit of 9.156 billion lei for the first nine months of 2022, five times higher than the same period in 2021. According to data cited by REL, 1,394 companies with Austrian shareholding are operating in Romania, of which 1,371 are still in business (23 are insolvent). Therefore, Romanians understood Austria’s message as a slap in the face and a major humiliation. Between the ignorance of the government, the superiority complex of the Austrians, the softness of the president, the fear of war, the growing euroscepticism… the explanations of this major failure branch out in many directions.
Former Romanian Prime Minister, Dacian Ciolos, criticised President Iohannis for his handling of the Schengen issue, stating that “the issue of Romania’s accession to the Schengen Area is a matter of political will and commitment, and President Iohannis has failed to demonstrate that commitment.”
Politically, Romania’s failure to enter the Schengen Area has been seen as a failure of the government, a failure that, Romanians think, has damaged the country’s reputation within the EU. It has also been used by opposition parties to criticize President Iohannis and his handling of the issue. Former Romanian President Traian Basescu stated that “President Iohannis should be more vocal in promoting Romania’s accession to the Schengen Area and should work to build stronger relationships with other EU leaders.”
Klaus Iohannis has been the president of Romania for almost 8 years. One of the main roles of the president is to coordinate the country’s foreign policy and Romanian diplomacy. If the president was to have a main foreign policy objective, then that objective should have been Romania’s entry into Schengen. Could this mean that Klaus Iohannis went to work for 8 years without doing his job?
According to many Romanians, the failure to postpone entry into Schengen is primarily Klaus Iohannis’s fault, and shows the poor quality of Romania’s diplomatic and foreign policy apparatus. An engineer builds, a doctor operates, a teacher educates, the president of a country must represent. Romanians did their job but, their president did not. It turned out that his campaign slogan “Romania: a country where everything is well done” should now become, “Romania a country that is blocked”!
Could this be…the end of Klaus Iohannis’s relationship with the Romanian people, or were they willing to give him one more shot?
Strike 3: The Canal that could sink it all!
Romanians love their Delta. Home to over 5,500 species of plants and animals, including several rare and endangered species, The Danube Delta has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1991. But, Romanians are also a warm and welcoming people, who care about their neighbors. Which is why, when the Ukraine-Russia conflict begun last year, Romania was one of the first EU countries to get involved. The Defense Ministry initiated amendments to the government resolution that would enable arms to be supplied not only to NATO countries but also to the Alliance’s allies and partners. In addition to ammunition, bulletproof vests, and helmets, Romania supplied Ukraine with fuel, medical equipment, and disinfectants. Truckloads of humanitarian aid also arrive in Ukraine on a regular basis.
Since the first days of Russia’s invasion, the Romania has accepted more than 800,000 Ukrainian refugees who are free to enter the country through any official border crossing points. But..no good deed gets left unpunished it seems!
In recent weeks, news starting pouring in about the devastation that Ukrainians are causing in the Danube Delta. The Bystroye Canal, also known as the Belgorod-Dniester Canal, is a man-made waterway that connects the Dniester River with the Black Sea. The canal was constructed by the Soviet Union in the 1970s to facilitate shipping and transportation of goods from Ukraine’s ports to the rest of the world. However, in recent years, the Ukrainian government has been dredging the canal to increase its depth, which has had a significant impact on the Romanian Danube Delta.
Right before the Russian invasion of Ukraine last year, the canal was only 3.9m deep, and has only now reached 6,5m in depth, which proves that the Ukrainians have been deepening it, although..they are not allowed to. The increased depth of the canal has caused saltwater from the Black Sea to intrude into the delta, which has led to the destruction of habitats and the displacement of species. The intrusion of saltwater has also caused the degradation of the delta’s soil and the loss of biodiversity.
But, what is the Romanian President doing about it? So far..just diplomacy. Or what he likes to call diplomacy, but has nothing to do with protecting the Delta and Romanian interests, but more with spineless chatter and gaslighting. Instead, The Social Democrat party, which is part of the current coalition in charge of the Romanian Government, issued a statement demanding that Ukraine immediately stops the dredging works on the Bystroye canal, because “they are an ecological disaster” and draws Kiev’s attention to the fact that Romania will not allow the destruction of the Danube Delta.
Environment agencies, various government officials and ONGs have been criticizing the Ukrainian government for failing to engage in meaningful dialogue.
And..there it is! Once more, Klaus Iohannis’s beloved is being attacked, abused and humiliated under the indifferent eyes of Europe and the president himself. This time it is clear that Romanians made a bad call (twice), when they elected their president. And the cost could eventually be bigger than expected. The potential destruction of the Danube Delta is a catastrophe for the planet, but more so for Romanians who are losing a big part of their legacy.
Riding on the coattails of the former glory of Carol Ist , a beloved King of Romania who was German, Klaus Iohannis could have been The One that Romanians had been looking for. He reminded them of Carol and the previous glory days of the monarchy, before communists took over. But, he did not raise to the expectations.
Though his name is not Romanian, president Klaus Iohannis is not from another planet! He is the image of the society he represents. Spineless, cold, sometimes arrogant, lacking vision, depth and values. Could it be that this is how all Romanians are? As a Romanian myself, I know this to be wrong. But, I also know, I too voted for Klaus and I understand that he is, collectively our product. He is the democratically elected president to represent us. But decisions have consequences…and time will tell if we can mend our broken hearts.
By Ioana Constantin