The opinions of Romanian experts on Brexit: causes and consequences

Abstract

After a number of postponements, Britain’s ratification of the withdrawal agreement has finally initiated the transitional period, during which the negotiations between the United Kingdom and the European Union will be finalized. Brexit has and will continue to affect the structure and relationships between EU member states. With a history of positive perceptions towards the EU and its institutions, Romania continues to believe in the rhetoric launched by Brussels. However, the implications of Brexit with regards to Romania are plenty – commercial, economic, political and geostrategic. In order to understand how the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union affects Romania, this paper attempts to thematically analyse a series of interviews with Romanian experts and elites. The interviews discuss the historical and political context of Brexit, and how Brexit affects Romania and Romanian citizens’ attitudes towards the Union. Recent statistics show that more than 400.000 Romanians reside in the UK and as such, one of the core matters raised in this paper concerns the status of Romanians in the UK post-Brexit.