In late 2024, Romania entered uncharted territory. The country’s presidential election was cancelled just two days before the final round. Officially, the Romanian Constitutional Court pointed to TikTok manipulation, illegal campaign financing, cyber‑attacks, and suspected “Russian interference”. https://www.politico.eu/article/romania-court-cancels-presidential-election-runoff-tiktok-russian-influence-calin-georgescu/
But in the beginning of 2026 when the dust settled and the political temperature cooled, another pattern emerged — one that had nothing to do with Tik-Tok bots or Russia interference instead everything to do with money, aggressively increasing of taxes on entrepreneurs and citizens, increasing of property taxes and power overtake of unelected bureaucrats .
The Bureaucratic Shift — and the Tax Shock That Followed
Shortly after unelected interim authorities took over, local administrations across Romania introduced sharp increases in property and motor‑vehicle taxes, in many cases far above the government’s own recommended levels https://www.romania-insider.com/property-taxes-hike-romania-january-2025
Media reports highlighted hikes around 70%, with some municipalities going even higher. The Romanian government itself estimated that these new property taxes would generate RON 3.7 billion (EUR 700 million) in 2026, a jump of over 30% compared to 2025 https://www.romania-insider.com/property-taxes-hike-romania-january-2025
For a country where 94% of citizens own their home — the highest home‑ownership rate in the entire European Union — such tax increases hit directly at the core of household stability. According to Eurostat, Romania leads Europe in home ownership, followed by Slovakia (93%) and Hungary (92%). At the other end of the spectrum are Germany (47%), Austria (55%), and Denmark (61%) https://theconversation.com/why-romanias-election-was-annulled-and-what-happens-next-245779
In a nation where nearly everyone owns property, raising property taxes is not a technical adjustment. It is a structural shift.
“You Will Own Nothing and Be Happy” — From Slogan to Reality
The now‑famous phrase “You will own nothing and be happy” originates from a World Economic Forum publication based on a 2016 essay by Danish politician Ida Auken. The essay imagined a future built on the sharing economy, but critics have long argued that the slogan reflects a deeper agenda of reduced personal ownership and increased dependency on centralized systems.
When democratic elections are cancelled, and unelected bureaucrats immediately move to increase the cost of owning property, the slogan stops being theoretical. It becomes a reality itself .
Just try to put the pieces together and connect the dots :
• A presidential election annulled at the last minute due to foreign interference concerns https://theconversation.com/why-romanias-election-was-annulled-and-what-happens-next-245779
• A rapid transition to unelected interim governance.
• A nationwide wave of aggressive property‑tax hikes, far above government guidelines.
• A population with the highest home‑ownership rate in Europe.
The result is a political and economic environment where ownership becomes more expensive, more precarious, and more dependent on the decisions of actors who were not elected by the public.
Conclusion: Feudalism on Steroids
When democratic processes are suspended and the cost of owning your home is pushed upward by unelected authorities, the message is unmistakable:
“You will own nothing and you will be happy.”
Not as a prediction.
Not as a slogan.
But as a policy direction.
As a Reality
In a country where nearly everyone owns their home, this shift feels as an attack on private ownership and less like modernization or futuristic society but more like going back to the Feudalism time — a system where ownership is tolerated only as long as you can pay periodically and it can be massively taxed.
Ownership of property that you already pay it , and buy it with your own money what already was taxed once upfront .