THE WAR BEYOND THE BORDER: ROMANIA’S RESPONSE TO THE ARRIVAL OF UKRAINIAN REFUGEES

Since the start of the war, in February 2022, almost three million Ukrainians have crossed the border to Romania, out of which 146.507 are currently registered for temporary protection or similar national protection schemes. Such a massive inflow of people in need of assistance and protection demands an institutional organized response, which has been provided by the Romanian state, in cooperation with civil society, and benefitting from the support of international organizations. The public-private model of cooperation employed in this response has been unprecedented, starting with the mobilization of Romanian citizens in offering housing and food to the refugees, and continuing with the involvement of non-governmental organizations. This article aims to assess the systemic reaction to the arrival of Ukrainian refugees in Romania and to investigate the role of systemic cooperation in providing this reaction. Based on data available from the main public institutions involved in this response, combined with information provided by non-governmental organizations and international organizations, the study evaluates, from the system theory perspective, the types of cooperation and collaboration that emerged and their effectiveness in this situation