Issues on the Evolution of
European Integration Process
Floarea Iordache1, Florin Răzvan Bălăşescu2
1Romanian Academy, Research Center of Financial and Monetary Related Problems “Victor
Slăvescu”, floarea.iordache@yahoo.com
2Romanian Academy, Research Center of Financial and Monetary Related Problems “Victor
Slăvescu”, razvan_balasescu@uahoo.com
Abstract: European strategic landscape has come in recent years radical transformations. European ideal is
read as a dynamic, complex, oriented integration process. At the first sight, the European integration seems to
be a simple result of a historic evolutionary process. However, the European integration process outlines the
complex, dynamic relationship between economic and politic aspects. Given that Romania is a member of the
European Union we consider that now is needed more than ever, knowledge regarding the evolution of
European integration process. From this perspective the European Integration Process is viewed as a
continuous economic institutional convergence process and the present paper recalls some of its main phases.
Keywords: European Integration, convergence criteria, economic history
1. The Economic History Perspective of European Integration Process –The
Evolutionary Approach
The economic history perspective of European Integration outlines both general and specific aspects.
As well known the ideal of a united Europe is linked to the need to maintain a stable environment in terms
of economic, social, political management and as well as to preserve the a relative politic and military
security. From the economic history point of view the European seems to be at the first sight a simple
result of an evolutionary historic process that takes into account some important phases.
In a general historic framework we distinguish mainly:
- The he early projects before the Second World War, many of them left without a practical purpose
(projects favorable either to a monarchy or Catholic Papality, belonging to different ideologists
included those with a socialist orientation, etc..), which expresses a certain mode of thinking at that
time, a way to see the progress of civilization on the old continent. These pan- European first ideas of
a possible European Community are found also in the Romanian personalities thinking like Vasile
Pârvan, Nicolae Iorga, Virgil Madgearu or Dimitrie Gusti;
- After World War II, the ideal of unification of European Unification generated a new impetus, both
politically as well as economic. It may be said that the end of Second World War along with its
specific Pan-European movements form the context picture of the way in which EU has emerged
today. The European conceived design was based on the statement that only united Europe which
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