Presentation By Mr. Adrian NASTASE, Prime Minister of Romania - Book Launch: 'Battle for the Future'- 2 november 2001

Ladies and Gentlemen,

First of all, I'd like to thank you all for participating in this event which means very much to me. 'Battle for the future' - whose American edition appears today - is a book to which I've devoted a lot of work, a 'mirror' book that aims to reflect the challenging controversies of these last ten years of transition and possibly to offer answers to them.

This book is articulated on two larger tracks. First, it endeavors to offer an understanding of what happened to us in Romania in the aftermath of the fall of Communism. I see no point in repeating how unprepared we were in 1989 to face the formidable challenges that lay in store for us. That there was no conceptual framework, no common vision as to the practical ways to grasp the deep political, economic and social transformations that Romania needed. Political theories and history have already pointed that out.

The change of regime that took place in Romania in 1989 practically triggered a profound transformation of the entire Romanian society. It dislodged the social and economic settings of entire social groups and individuals. It uprooted perceptions and altered the mind-set of many people. It led to the reinvention of the political sphere and the emergence of political elites. We have to recognize that this process of deep economic and social change could not have taken place overnight. Nor could it have been painless.

As I said before, this tremendous change of system transformed the lives of individuals, including mine. It shifted the way I imagined my career would evolve. After having spent years as a researcher dedicated to the study of international law, I was drawn into the demanding whirl of political activity and decision-making.

All these years of political activity in Romania meant many challenges, and so many questions who needed an answer: They ranged from the role of the state in transition, to the best ways to establish a fully functional market economy; from the configuration of new political doctrines and ideologies to the very down-to-earth problems of creating new parties; from adopting the right social policies for reforming education and research, to reforming our armed forces. These are just very examples, but they give you an idea of the multiple and complex facets that a radical change of system implies. We need to look back and acknowledge that some of the answers we gave to these challenges have not always been the perfect ones. We need to be aware that there have been too many delays and hesitations which have sometimes led to deepening existent disparities.

This is the reason for which I considered it necessary to make an additional effort to assess what happened, to analyze these years not only with the instruments of political science, but also through the lens of the experience of a person who was involved in political decision-making.

The second dimension which I wanted to build through this book is the prospective aspect, the projection of the future. All these years, I believe we have more than often reacted to changes, when we should have led them. Romania needs a clearer development project to be pursued with a higher degree of political resolve, tenacity and coordination of efforts.

I tried to identify in general terms the parameters of this project. Its achievement ultimately means the transformation of our society into a developed one, perfectly synchronized with the rest of the Euro-Atlantic family. Even if Romania has known an extremely difficult period, even if it may not have always been the best of transition management, Romania is far from being a lost cause. Romania has a future.

Our battle for the future of Romania will be long and far from easy. This future will be build through competent governance, pro-active politics and governments who will lead the changes. It is what we have committed ourselves to do after the December 2000 elections. For all of us, myself included, the battle for the future is not simply a book on the shelf, not simply an abstract political idea, but a battle in which we will be engaged daily, as we build the future of Romania.