TRANSITION PERIODS PROVIDED FOR IN THE ACT OF ACCESSION OF ROMANIA TO THE EUROPEAN UNION. GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS.

Beginning shortly after the regime change in December 1989, the process of rapprochement between Romania and the European Communities was a long and difficult one. In order to acquire the status of a Member State, our country had to prove the fulfillment of both the accession criteria set out mainly at the meetings of The European Council in Copenhagen and Madrid, as well as the punctual conditionality highlighted during the accession negotiations. All this involved severe adjustments of political, legal, social, economic nature and not only. Due to the possible effects that the radical change in the factual situation might have in the afore mentioned spheres, Romania supported the necessity of inserting in the Accession Act certain transition periods so to facilitate the accommodation to the status of Member State of the Communities and subsequently, of the European Union. Our study focuses on the transition periods that we have previously referred to, which we will examine from the perspective of the Act of Accession and the doctrine of specialty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]