The Briand Plan of European Union Commented by the Interwar Romanian Press

• Author: Fanel Teodorascu
• Pages: 462-467

European Integration - Realities and Perspectives. Proceedings 2016

462

Interdisciplinary Dimensions of Communication Science

The Briand Plan of European Union Commented by the Interwar

Romanian Press

Fanel Teodorascu1

Abstract: With each passing day, the construction called the European Union presents increasingly clear

signs of disease. Something is not working and it is likely not to work anymore. For this reason, more and

more resounding voices announce the decline of Europe. The Greek crisis, the Ukrainian crisis, the refugee

crisis are just some of the issues that shows that countries that make up the European family (28 countries)

find it difficult to act as a whole. After the completion of the Second World War, Romania did not matter in

any way in achieving the European family plans, entering in the sphere of influence of the Soviet Union.

Things were not always this way. The plans for a federal state comprising the European countries have existed

before the interwar period, as we shall see below. The years between the two world wars were marked by

political debates on this theme, which have not been seen before.

Keywords: federalization; speech; press; crisis; European Union

1. Introduction

In Romania, the interest for this topic was as high as in any other European country that emerged from

war with some territorial gains and unwilling outbreak of a new world cataclysm. It is understood that

the Romanian state people have addressed the issue of uniting the European states into speeches both

at home and abroad. What interests us, however, is how the theme “federalization of Europe” was

analyzed in the interwar media.

European Union as it stands today has as its starting point year 1951, when it was created the

European Community of Coal and Steel (ECSC). Until reaching to this point, the European political

leaders had to go through a long and arduous path. Among those who supported the idea of a united

Europe was the French statesman Aristide Briand. His plan was, however, considered by some authors

as being inaccurate. (Judt, 2000, pp. 136-139)

Despite this “defect” of the thought plan of Aristide Briand, the Romanian journalists, more or less

skilled in such matters, reacted promptly to the idea of the emergence of a political construction that is

able to guarantee peace in Europe. Many claimed the idea of building a European federal state,

showing that this is the only way it can be achieved an economic balance between the European

countries. There were, of course, and challengers of the idea that, at that time, that the federalization of

1 S enior Lecturer, PhD, Faculty of Communication and In ternational Relations, Danubius University of Galati, Romania,

Address: 3 Galati Blvd., Galati 800654, Romania, Tel.: +40372361102, Corresponding author: teodorascu.fanel@univ-

danubius.ro