Measuring Sustainable Development Effectiveness in EU’s Policies Implementation in Romania

• Main Author: Roxana Damian
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Facultatea de Stiinte Politice, SNSPA 2013-04-01
• Series: Sfera Politicii
• Subjects: Europeanization; EU membership; funding effectiveness; sustainable development; conditionality
• Online Access: http://www.sferapoliticii.ro/sfera/174/art15-Damian.php

With the 2004 and 2007 EU enlargement, the main incentive for 12 candidate countries - the actual membership - has been ruled out. EU cannot play the sticks and carrots game while the impact of the pre-accession policies and 2007-2013 funding infusion can now be fully measured. The literature covering the Europeanization of domestic policies and their results for the new Member States does not count too many successes but argues that it is the domestic policies that have the relevant impact. We analyze the case of sustainable development for Romania and argue that although it is a core horizontal principle of EU policies its impact is very limited and it is rather a subject of good wording due to several policy shortcomings.