Romania's 2022 political year in review: Dealing with the consequences of the Ukraine war & no Schengen entry

As it happened elsewhere, Romania had to deal this year with the impact of the war in Ukraine and its humanitarian, political, and economic consequences. While inflation reached double digits, the Government presented various social measures aimed at helping low-income households. Meanwhile, entry into the Schengen area remains an objective to be reached as a December vote kept the country out of the border-free area.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine took up a large part of the country's foreign policy agenda this year as Romania was quick to condemn the aggression against its northern neighbor and offered support to the country in various ways. From the onset of the security and humanitarian crisis, the Romanian authorities and numerous NGOs mobilized to provide emergency assistance and supplies, ranging from fuel and medicines to food and ambulances. An international humanitarian hub opened in Suceava, close to the border with Ukraine, in early March, and by October, more than 50 humanitarian transport missions passed through it, with deliveries from countries such as Italy, France, Bulgaria, Austria, Slovenia, Cyprus, Greece, Germany, and North Macedonia. In addition, local authorities across the country mobilized to welcome the refugees arriving from Ukraine, and in Bucharest the exhibition center Romexpo was turned into an accommodation venue, while the city's main railway station, Gara de Nord, was also transformed to accommodate those arriving to either stay or embark to other destinations in Europe. More than 2.65 million Ukrainian refugees passed through Romania until the end of October, according to datafrom the Foreign Affairs Ministry (MAE), and more than 86,500 decided to stay in the country.