Economic and Social Cohesion in the South-East of Romania

In the midst of struggling with the global economic crisis the European Union is working to maintain its integrity while applying the motto “United in diversity”. Even while turning a deaf ear to the euro-enthusiasts and the euro-skeptics one wanders just how cohesive this diverse unity is. To analyze this is to dwell into the cohesion principle that underpins the whole European construct, going beyond the models presented by politicians – a Europe of the Regions or The United States of Europe. Our aim is to identify the disparities that might exist so far as economic and social cohesion in Romania goes. Thus, continuing a previous study concerning economic and social cohesion in Romania in the year 2010, based on a methodology developed by professor Shalom H. Schwartz from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, we set out to research the cohesion elements in the Southern and Eastern regions in our country and compare the findings of the two scientific inquiries. The existence of significant disparities among the South-Eastern part of Romania and the whole country would add to the concerns expressed by the authors of the previous study regarding the low level of economic and social cohesion in our country.