The Cluj Declaration

The new Romanian government of the right forces – the National Liberal Party, the Alliance 2020 (Save Romania Union and Plus) and the Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romanians declared in its programme willingness to allocate 6% of GDP for health, 6% of GDP for education and 1% of GDP for research. These three promises copy important points from the Cluj Declaration – a document of the Romanian civil society, accepted in November 2014 on the central square in Cluj-Napoca as part of the protests that preceded the election of Klaus Iohannis in his first term as a president. Mihai Goţiu, then coordinator of the site “Clean Romania”, declared before this blog in 2016 that the Cluj Declaration remains a programme of the civil society and it is being advanced by the NGO sector. The blog “The Bridge of Friendshp” shares with you an English-language translation of this document, which was originally published at Clean Romania – a site of Romanian civil society:

“We, citizens of the Municipality of Cluj-Napoca, gathered on 14th November 2014, in Unirii Square, affirm that these political points are essential for Romania and we ask that the future president and political class realise them:

1. Civil rights

Respecting without constraints and strengthening of our freedom of expression, of protest or of vote, including voting through correspondence for the diaspora.

2. Political reform

Reform of the political classes and the legislativeorgans by reducing the number of parliamentarians, introducing of new parties and facilitating legitimacy through civil initiative. Limiting of political appointments in institutions at the level of secretaries of state.

3. Justice

Respect for division of powers in state through the elimination of any political intervention in the judiciary. Immediate abolishment of the legislative proposals granting of pardon and amnesty and reversing of any legislative initiative in this sense. Limiting immunity of the state officials only to their political statements; elimination of discriminatory measures between them and the rest of the citizens, including in domain or arrest and search (by eliminating Article 72, paragraph 2 of the Constitution); Election by direct vote of the People’s Advocate.

4. Health

Respect for citizens’ rights to health care and efficient funding of the health system. Allocation of 6% of GDP for the Ministry of Health and separation of budget of the National Insurance Office from the consolidated budget. Real-time access of population to medicaments, including their replacement. Halt to the exodus of the medical staff by ensuring a salaries at their level of education and responsibility.

5. Education and research

Recognizing the support for these two areas and stimulating through respect of the law: immediate and effective allocation of 6% of GDP for education, and of1% of GDP for research. Salaries of teachers and researchers that correspond to their level of importance in society.

6. Environment and natural resources

Recognition of the environment problems as issues of national security. Guaranteeing access to basic vital resources: water, air care, food resources. Complete ban on the Romanian territory of the cyanide process in mining, of hydraulic fracking in the gas industry and of the GMO in agriculture. Immediate use of illegal deforestation and reforestation on national level.

7. Social and community life

Immediate and complete stop of separatist discourses, discrimination and instigation of ethnic, racial, class, social, religious or political choices.

Here or abroad, we are all the citizens of Romania. This is our national project. We support solidarity and support political classes and decision-makers. 25 years after the Romanian Revolution, we reaffirm the its values and warn that we could not tolerate any betrayal of our legitimate interests.

Photo: The center of Cluj Napoca on a normal day (source: Pixabay, CC0)

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About Author

Vladimir Mitev

Vladimir Mitev is a Bulgarian Romanian-speaking journalist. He has interacted with many Bulgarian and Romanian media outlets, including Bulgarian National Radio, Mediapool, all major Bulgarian television stations, Darik Radio, and more (Bulgaria); Radio Romania, The Liberal Community 1848, all the major Romanian television stations; DoR; Libertatea; PressHub; and others (Romania); The Analysis, Acorn Radio (USA); Open Democracy (UK); voxEurop (France); the Observatory for the Balkans and the Caucasus; The Other News (Italy); The Institute for Central Europe (Poland); Argument (Czechia); Merce (Hungary); Bilten (Croatia); and Agora (the Republic of Moldova).
He promotes the idea of non-hegemonic, mutually empowering interactions in Central and Southeastern Europe that could contribute to the formation of a dynamic regional identity and connect citizens to the global community.

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