Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu says that every Romanian who leaves Romania permanently is “a failure” for this country and not a celebration, pointing out that when conditions at home are similar to those outside, Romanians will not leave, according to Agerpres.
The Prime Minister recalled, on Sunday, at the Romanian National Opera, on the last evening of the Festival “Here there” organized on the occasion of Romanians Everywhere Day, the moment when his brother went to Germany, immediately after the 1989 Revolution, like many other Romanians, in search of better lives.
“I feel now as I felt then, that there was no celebration in our family. It was hard for all of us and for the mother, I think, almost impossible seeing a boy leave with the only granddaughter he had and we were only going to see them in photos or hear them only on the phone. It was only really a celebration when they returned home. The truth is that for 30 years we have gotten used to celebrating failure. We organize events, give speeches, take pictures and then everyone sees their own lives, us here and you beyond, in other countries. The truth is that every definitive crossing over the border is a failure for this country, not a celebration. Every mother, every brother, every sister or grandchild who leaves leaves a huge void both in the family that remains to suffer and in the communities of which they are a partsaid Ciolacu.
Marcel Ciolacu. PHOTO Facebook video capture
“I apologize for not being able to keep you at home”
Ciolacu pointed out that the departure of Romanians from our country, after the Revolution of 1989, is “the main failure of politicians”.
“Please allow me to apologize for not being able to do more and better. I apologize for not being able to keep you at home. I understood your message perfectly and I am aware that many of you are determined to stay abroad for good. That's why, in all the meetings I've had with European leaders for almost a year since I've been prime minister, I've tried to get something for the Romanians outside the borders. I met with Pedro Sanchez, who (…) will come, in July, to Bucharest to sign the agreement by which Romanians settled in Spain will be able to have dual citizenship. It is a sign of respect that my friend Pedro Sanchez, after almost two years of building this, brings to the second largest community in Spain“, Ciolacu added.
The prime minister added that only France and Portugal still have such agreements with Spain.
“I'm glad that Romanians will have access to better-paid jobs, without having to give up their Romanian citizenship.”
Marcel Ciolacu listed the meetings with some European leaders to obtain some facilities for Romanians from those countries.
“I met with the president of the Council of Ministers, Giorgia Meloni, the prime minister of Italy. I can tell you that the Orthodox Church as a cult recognized by the Italian state is on the last hundred meters. (…) I met with Olaf Scholz, the chancellor of Germany, and we worked very well together to protect and improve working conditions for Romanian workers, especially the seasonal ones. I met with Mrs. Maia Sandu, the president of Moldova, and with Vladimir Zelenski (not the president of Ukraine) and we managed to eliminate the aberrant and Soviet concept of the Moldovan language from these two countries. All Romanians from the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine today speak only one language, and that is Romanian. And I am very proud of this. I met this week with the president of Turkey, Mr. Erdogan, and I succeeded in making it possible for Romanians who want to travel to Turkey to do so only with the bulletin, no longer needing a passport“, detailed the prime minister.
“Romanians have no reason to be humiliated and not receive what they deserve”
According to the Prime Minister “greatest achievement” this year will be when Romania fully joins the Schengen Area.
“You know very well the ordeal you have to endure, year after year, at the borders, when you want to return home for the holidays. I consider this a humiliation, and the Romanians have no reason to be humiliated and not receive what they deserve. Last year we opened an irreversible process through air and sea accession. But this year we have to do justice to the end and enter with the land borders. This is normal and I assure you, this evening, that this Government will do this. Just as we will do justice in terms of visas for the United States. I am convinced that all the discussions I had with the American officials and all the effort made by the Romanian state, but above all, all the effort made by the Romanians, will lead this year to a decision to eliminate visas”Marcel Ciolacu pointed out.
“The only way to keep our children in the country is to continue to raise wages”
The Head of the Executive also said that it is the Government's duty to convince the Romanians “she no longer leaves in search of a better life abroad”.
“It is painful when I see that the average age of the Romanian community in Italy, Spain or England is 31-32 years. There are no magic formulas. The only way to keep our children in the country is to continue to increase salaries, to improve public services, to develop the infrastructure. In short, let's raise the standard of living!“
Marcel Ciolacu promised that “by the end of this year, Romanians will be able to drive on approximately half of the Moldavian Highway, “the historical region from which most Romanians went to work abroad”.
“And I gave only one example. I want to solve the problem of highways in Romania once and for all, and for each area of the country to develop as a unit, attract investments and create well-paid jobs. And the historical regions should be interconnected (…). Only with conditions like outside, the Romanians will not leave! Only in this way, those who yearn to return will return to the families that are waiting for them“, Ciolacu also said.
The prime minister explained that through the reindustrialization of Romania, the areas where many Romanians left will also be reborn and he thanked the Romanian Orthodox Church for being the “binder” that preserves our national identity.
“I know that, apart from the family, Romanian children born in the diaspora have the opportunity to hear the Romanian language only in Romanian churches. That is why I thank the Romanian Orthodox Church because over time it has been and will remain the link that keeps alive, anywhere in the world, our national identity, respect for our language, culture and beliefs. Happy birthday, dear Romanians”, Ciolacu finished his speech.
Between May 24 and 26, on the occasion of Romanians Everywhere Day, the 7th edition of the “Aici-Acolo” Festival took place. The event, under the High Patronage of the President of Romania, included a series of activities organized by the Department for Romanians Everywhere, in partnership with the Union of Visual Artists from Romania.
