From Revolution to Reintegration: Romania’s Return to Europe

Gheorghe Ciuhandu Mayor of Timisoara, Romania

Conversation on Europe
Thursday, October 11, 2007 4 pm
1636 International Institute of the University of Michigan
sponsors: CES-EUC and CREES


Eastern Michigan University  Lectures
Tuesday, October 15, 2007, 11 am
Eastern Michigan University. info 734.487.3113
sponsors: EMU




The Romanian Revolution of 1989 first began in the city of Timisoara. In December of that year, a protest became a week-long series of riots and fighting that quickly resulted in the overthrow of the Communist regime of Nicolae Ceauşescu. Ceauşescu’s economic and development policies were blamed by many Romanians for the country's painful shortages and widespread, intensifying poverty. Ghorghe Ciuhandu is uniquely qualified to give a personal account of this anti-communist revolution having served as Mayor of this revolutionary city since 1996.

Romania joined the European Union in January 2007, after a long road of reintegration and alignment which continues today.