Romania struggles to move on after 20 years

In pride of place in Petre Roman’s office hangs a resplendent symbol of Romania’s revolution, a threadbare national flag with a hole punched through the middle. On a chilly night 20 years ago such makeshift banners flew over barricades in the centre of Bucharest as Mr Roman, then a university lecturer, and hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets to challenge the most repressive regime in the then eastern bloc.

Mr Roman, the scion of a prominent communist family, remembers all too well the euphoria of witnessing the flight of Nicolae and Elena Ceausescu from the Communist Central Committee building the following day. He was the first to address the ecstatic crowds from the balcony – a scene watched live on television by an awestruck world. The euphoria, he recalls, lasted for only a few more days On Boxing day, the day after the summary trial and execution of the Ceausescus, he became prime minister. It was only then that the scale of their economic mismanagement emerged. It is a challenge that overshadows Romania today – quite as much as the legacy of decades of living in a repressive police state.

“Under Ceausescu we had been in a long descent into hell,” Mr Roman says. “I asked top researchers to give me quickly a synthesis of the state of the economy. Within a few days they came back with an answer: 80 per cent of industrial output could not sustain market competition.”

Twenty years after the revolution, as Romanians assess the fruits of democracy, their recollections are more reflective than triumphal as they consider the missed opportunities of the past two decades.

“The expectations were enormous,” concedes Mr Roman, who after six months of turmoil in 1990 introduced a reform programme. “But the reforms meant not a new prosperous life but sacrifice. The liberalisation was huge the sacrifices were huge. There are now huge imbalances, huge inequalities, and huge social failures. There is still a lot to do.”

Having joined Nato in 2004 and the European Union three years later, Romania witnessed a surge of optimism and foreign investment. Eight per cent annual economic growth and rocketing real estate prices became the new norm. But these years of prosperity and excess now feel like a distant memory in Bucharest. This year the Romanian economy is set to contract by at least 7 per cent, forcing the government to go to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and EU in the spring for a €20bn ($29bn, £18bn) bailout. A difficult situation was exacerbated by the political void that emerged in October when the government of Emil Boc, prime minister, collapsed. A bitterly fought presidential election pitted the incumbent Traian Basescu against Mircea Geoana, the Social Democratic former foreign minister and ambassador to Washington.

Mr Basescu, a former sea captain and mayor of Bucharest, was confirmed as victor but rivals have accused his party of electoral fraud and went to the courts to try to overturn the result. “We have a perfectly divided Romania facing the crisis,” says Dorel Sandor, a political analyst.

Mr Basescu rose to power on the back of his popular anti-corruption stance but his bullish style has left him with few friends in parliament, which could make forming a government even harder. Without a budget in place, the IMF has delayed a €1.5bn tranche of assistance. Romania had a structural deficit problem before the crisis and its bloated public service now faces a period of huge uncertainty. The pain is being felt by 1.3m public sector workers who will be laid off for eight days this winter.

A small IMF team returned to Romania this week and there are hopes that a tranche of financial assistance will arrive in January. The government is still able to borrow on private capital markets and Mr Boc, who has been nominated to form a new government, says there will be no difficulty paying wages, pensions and social allowances in December.

Mr Roman, who is now a consultant having had to step down as premier in 1991 amid protests at his reforms, concedes that Romania’s progress has not been as it might have been. “Romania has made a huge positive jump from the wrong side of history to the right side. European values again predominate. But we still have huge problems.”

Right at the outset of the new era, the execution of the Ceausescus was a mistake, he says, as it fed conspiracy theories that they were shot to stop them revealing compromising secrets about their successors’ past. Too many former secret policemen have been allowed to stay in senior posts, he adds. Also, the reforms have been mishandled and are corrupt, he argues.

In the medium term economic growth will return, and Romania will resume its efforts to catch up western Europe.

Romanians can celebrate winning their freedom this Christmas but on the streets of Bucharest other battles are still left to be won.

Source:ft.com

Romania: The revolution remembered

December the 20th 1989 and a huge cry of freedom rises up from the immense crowd gathered in Opera Square in the Romanian city of Timisoara.

From then on the Communist regime of Nicolae Ceausescu was living on borrowed time.

Today, 20-years on, the memory of that historic time is preserved in the Museum of the Revolution.

Its president is Traian Orban:

“It was extraordinary for us that we could stand side by side and scream ‘freedom’. Together we felt safe and we encouraged each other, but there was also the military.”

Orban carries a painful reminder of the violence of the times. He suffered a gunshot wound to his leg after the securitate opened fire on the crowd.

It was the end of the line for Caeusescu the man who along with his wife Elena ruled Romania for nearly 25 years.

In Timisoara a monument pays homage to those that lost their lives on December the 17th, Maria Andrei was shot dead on Decebal Bridge her body was then cremated to make identification impossible.

Her sister is Camelia Andrei:

“On January the fifth, my parents who lived outside the city, came into town as they were told to collect my sisters death certificate. They went to get it while I gave birth to a child, it was an irony of sorts.”

Geanina Juganuru was 10 when the lifeless body of her father was brought home. An former army general was accused of his death, but acquitted. He is now a university professor.

“There was chance that he could become one of my professors, that he would teach classes I attended. This came as shock to me. I refused to have him as my teacher and my fellow students stood with me and refused to have him in class.”

Twenty years after the event those bereaved are still seeking justice.

Source:euronews.net/

1-IMF says Romania loan may be released in February

WASHINGTON, Dec 17 (Reuters) - Romania may be able to tap an International Monetary Fund aid package as early as February once a new government is installed and a cost-cutting budget is approved, an IMF official said on Thursday.

"Based on progress so far, we are optimistic that the staff can move the review quickly to the IMF executive board for a meeting by mid-February," Jeffrey Franks, the IMF's mission chief to Romania, said in a statement.

"Subject to the IMF board's favorable decision, disbursement can follow," he said.

The IMF put Romania's $29.3 billion aid package on hold last month. For more see [ID:nLDE5BD0G7].

Franks said Romania's macroeconomic outlook seemed better than it had in early November, helped by stronger external demand. He said the Fund thinks Romania's 2009 decline in economic activity will be "contained" to about 7 percent, and growth in 2010 may be 1.3 percent.

He said preliminary figures suggested Romania's 2009 budget deficit target of 7.3 percent of GDP was within reach, provided spending remains controlled in the final weeks of the year.

"Markets have remained stable despite the recent political uncertainties, and we expect no undue difficulties in financing the fiscal deficit in the coming months," he said.

A joint IMF, European Commission and World Bank mission to conclude a review under an IMF-supported loan package could happen in January once a new government is in place, he said. (Reporting by Emily Kaiser; Editing by Theodore d'Afflisio)

Source:forexyard.com/

Romania To Ease Entry For Some 1 Million Moldovans

CHISINAU -- Moldovan Prime Minister Vlad Filat says that up to 1.2 million Moldovans -- or more than one-quarter of the population -- will be able to travel easily to EU-member Romania due to an agreement he signed in Bucharest last week, RFE/RL's Moldovan Service reports.

The agreement will allow Moldovans living within 50 kilometers of the Romanian border to get multientry permits to enter Romania that are valid for two to five years.

Moldovans need visas to enter Romania and other EU countries.

Filat, who met with top Romanian officials during his visit to Bucharest, added that Romania has also pledged to open two or three new consulates in Moldova in addition to the existing one in Chisinau.

It is unclear when the new travel agreement comes into force and whether the holders of the new permits will be allowed to travel anywhere in Romania or just within a strip along their common border.

Such agreements are in force at other external EU borders, for instance in western Ukraine.

Moldova and Romania, which have a common language and history, are rapidly improving ties after years of tension under the previous communist government in Chisinau.

Source:rferl.org

Poker Romanian style, by Chris Moneymaker

As part of Team Pokerstars Pro I get the opportunity to travel the world and play poker. I have been to many countries as an ambassador to Pokerstars, but never to Romania. I was first asked to go to Romania instead of going to my original destination of Costa Rica this week. I agreed and began to do some research on the country so that I would know what to expect.

I knew little about the place and its people, and thought playing in the PokerStars Romanian Open was a great opportunity to see a place I would never pick out on the map as a place to go for vacation. After a 15-hour journey I arrived in Bucharest ready to jump into the poker scene.

The first thing I noticed was the cold weather - about 45 degrees. The ride from the airport to the hotel was long for a short distance. I learned from my driver that the short drive will be awhile as traffic is always an issue in Bucharest. The city has almost 3 million people and the highways are always packed. I arrived at the hotel and was pleasantly surprised. I made my way down to the tournament area and met with the tournament director who informed me that this was the first tournament of this size in Romania and everyone was very excited to see how many would show. The turnout was great, over 300 people (the cap was set at 300 originally) and the Romanian players were eager to play.

I sat down to play the tournament with my standard plan for playing poker with unknown players. I will play very tight and observe the players. I don't get involved early and want to see what style they play. After about an hour I had pretty much established my whole Romanian poker strategy. NO BLUFFING. Romanian poker players are gamblers and believe strongly in luck. The first thing I notice both in the tournament and the big cash game I would later play is that the Romanians open with 5-7x raises compared to the 3x raises which are more common. Also, you can expect to get 4-5 callers with these raises. It is quite different than what I am used to seeing on the poker tour, so I had to adjust my strategy to play premium hands and play them for maximum value. I made it through the day relatively easy as one of the chip leaders, I never had much issue and was a nice tourney day overall.

The next day was an off day so I decided to get out and see the area and other casinos. Casinos in Romania are small but extremely nice. Each has a lavish buffet set up and they are very well designed. Each casino has several roulette tables and blackjack tables, but craps is not played in Romania. Each casino also has two or three poker tables where the games they play are rather large. I learn from talking with players that Romanians play less poker hours but higher stakes. Again, they are gamblers. I sit to play in a 25-50 game and notice right away the 5-7x raises.

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You notice two more things when playing in a Romanian casino that is different than in other areas of the world. First, smoking is allowed at the table and many Romanians smoke, therefore filling the air with cigarette fumes. Secondly, it is incredibly loud. If you play poker in most places, people are quiet and focused on the game. You could hear a pin drop as someone contemplates calling a big all-in or during hands. Not in Romania, everyone is talking, everyone is having a good time. I have never seen people talk as much and have so much fun at a poker table. It truly was a blast to play with the Romanian players, they love to talk and they love to have fun.

I have always told people that poker should be fun and it is a social game that you should celebrate with friends. Here in Romania they truly live that every day. They love to play and have fun while they are doing it. Bad beats are laughed about and losers give the winner a high five after hands. Always having fun, it is quite amazing here.

Any poker player looking for a great fun poker game should look into Romania. The stakes vary from 3-6 nl to 50-100 plo at the casinos I visited. But at every level and every casino the people were the nicest and most talkative I have ever seen. This is a great country to play poker in and amazingly fun. I have been very impressed with Romania and its people. I have made several friends while I have been here and look forward to coming back.

As a side note, I learned something I didn't know previously about my friend Daniel Negreanu. Everyone knows he is from Canada, but I learned his name is of Romanian descent. Daniel speaks Romanian very well also. I would say Daniel embodies what I think of when I think of a Romanian person. He is outspoken, friendly to everyone, a gambler, and someone that loves life and lives it to the fullest.


Source:mirror.co.uk

Travel books: guides to Romania and Tuscany

Modern Romania is made up of the three former principalities of Transylvania, Moldavia and Wallachia; a country with a rich and diverse cultural heritage that embraces Greek, Roman, Slav, Bulgarian and Hungarian cultures (and even those of the Italian Renaissance and Byzantine, Ottoman and Habsburg empires). This is an inspiring guidebook, providing an in-depth examination of the country's history and culture, with chapters written by different experts on each subject, including the painted churches of Moldavia, Romania textiles, music and glass icons, and an impressive examination of modern Romania's economy. The guide concludes with a shorter section of practical information about where and when to visit. It is also beautifully illustrated with colour photographs. Perfect for anyone looking for an intelligently written, well-researched book on one of the most beguiling and romantic of countries.

"As with almost all European folk music, that of the Romanis is allied to the seasons, and, consequently, to life and death. But there is another genre of Romanian folk music, called the doina. This does not refer to any specific incident or time of year, but rather to a particular state of mind. The doina, while not being intentionally sad or pessimistic in character, tends to express the external struggle of life, the darker side of existence… in the Wallachian region, there exists a unique type of doina which sings of love in all its forms… here, generally, the music conveys a more optimistic state of mind."

TUSCANY by Alistair Moffat (Birlinn £17.99)

Tuscany has long held a particular place in the affections of the British – for a long time, the Italian for foreigners, first used in the 1830s, was gli inglesi – the English. In this compelling narrative, Moffat attempts to answer the question about what exactly it is that makes this part of Italy so seductive. In doing so he takes the reader on a delicious trip through the geography, history and culture of the region. Moffat is as good on the significance of the rise to prominence of cities like Luca, Pisa and Florence as he is on a more general examination of the role that Tuscany has played in the development of Italy. He tends to concentrate on the cultural and historical, with little, say, on the region's influential culinary heritage, but this is a minor criticism of an otherwise impressive book.

"Never hang around the Palazzo della Signoria as if it is the place where you do business. Only go there when you are summoned, and only accept the offices that are bestowed on you. Never make a show before the people, but if this is unavoidable, let it be the least necessary. Keep out of the public gaze, and never go against the will of the people – unless they are advocating some disastrous project."

Giovanni de' Medici's advice in 1428 to his son, Cosimo the Elder

Source:telegraph.co.uk

Udrea: Romania’s inclusion in Dertour catalogue to push up tourists’ number by 30 pct

Presentation of travel industry destinations in Romania in Dertour Co. catalogue is to push up the number of tourists by 30 percent in 2010, announced Minister of Tourism Elena Udrea in a press conference on Monday.

“According to estimations, the number of tourists in Romania is to rise by 30 percent in 2010 due to the inclusion of this tourist destination in Dertour catalogue”, said Elena Udrea. A number of 350,000 Dertour 2010 catalogues started to be distributed by 10,000 travel agencies, according to Dertour Romania representative Radu Colfescu.

“The Ministry of Tourism contributed with 40,000 euros to Romania’s inclusion in Dertour catalogue. It is about 11.4 Euro-cents per each booklet presenting Romania as a tourist destination. A number of 10,000 advertising panels will be posted in Dertour agencies windows display. As well, in spring 2010 a number of 30,000 presentation folders will be posted in order to promote Romania as a tourist destination”, stressed Elena Udrea.

“Romania has a 25-page presentation booklet. Apart of the seaside tourism the booklet also promotes mountain destinations, the Danube Delta, cultural tourism. We have travel industry products, cycling tourism, bus circuits, travel circuits by car, cruises. Those who seek a tourist destination in Eastern Europe can discover it in this catalogue”, said Elena Udrea.

Apart of Romania, the catalogue includes tourist destinations in Poland, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria and Hungary in its 114 pages. “The fact that an Air Berlin Nurnberg – Constanta (Romania’s south-east) flight will be introduced soon means that the tour operators will more easily sell this destination”, stressed Radu Colfescu.

According to the sales manager for Eastern Europe of Dertour, Anna Schwingenschlogl, the company concluded 2007 with a turnover of 4.3 billion euros. Dertour is present on the market in Romania for five years. Dertour is one of the largest tour operators in Germany and Austria and is part of Rewe Group. The company offers complete and personalized services which can be combined and individually booked.

Source:financiarul.ro

Tourists from Romania Choose Bulgaria as Winter Holiday Destination

3 November 2009 | Bulgaria is the most preferred destination for spending the New Year’s holidays, according to Romanian tourism agencies. While last year, Romanians mostly sought winter holiday packages for Austria’s resorts, this year they are headed to Bulgaria due to the economic crisis.

Offers for ski holidays in Bulgaria entered the Romanian market more strongly this year,” Dragos Anastasiu from the Nova Travel tourism agency told the Romanian publication Business Standard, cited by the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency. “It is cheaper and it is closer to us. Besides, there are still free spaces available,” he added.

If the average Romanian’s budget for the winter holidays last year was between 400 and 500 euro, this year it is expected that it will be reduced by 20 per cent,” Korina Martin, head of the National Association of Tourist Agencies of Romania said, adding that this year tourist inquires were only regarding the New Year’s holidays offers, rather than a longer winter vacation.

Romanians make up the biggest group of foreign tourists who come to Bulgaria, according to the now disbanded National Tourism Agency of Bulgaria, the Dnevnik newspaper wrote. Until now, however, their visits were mostly to the Black Sea coast resorts. Since last year, some hotel owners and winter resorts began to promote themselves more actively on the Romanian market.

As BalkanTravellers.com reported recently, it is also expected that the number of tourists from Serbia and Macedonia to Bulgaria will grow by 10 per cent this winter season compared to last year.

Read more about Bulgaria on BalkanTravellers.com
Use BalkanTravellers.com's tips to organize your trip to Bulgaria

Source:BalkanTravellers.com

Romanian Group Attempts Moon Mission With Giant Balloon

The first attempt to send a rocket to the Moon via balloon hit a snag on Monday. The first test of the Aeronautics and Cosmonautics Romanian Association's (ARCA) balloon-launched rocket (or "rockoon") ended in failure when the "inflation arms" used to fill the balloon became entangled in the balloon itself. The arms had to be cut, and the operation – which required the use of a large naval frigate — was curtailed. ARCA hopes to compete in the Google Lunar X PRIZE, and intends on using their unusual rocket system to send an equally unique spherical lunar lander to win a $30 million prize.

Rockoons were tried and then abandoned by the US in the 1950s because they blew off course in windy conditions.

ARCA's European Lunar Explorer (ELE) is a simple design. The super-huge balloon carrying a system of three rockets will soar to about 11 miles (18 km) up. Then the first two rocket stages will fire and boost the system into low Earth orbit, and use the final stage to boost it to the Moon. The ELE will then travel to the moon and deploy its Lunar Lander, which resembles a knobby rubber ball that uses its own rocket engine to ensure a soft landing. Watch their video of how it all will work below: (If nothing else, watch it for the great music!)



On Monday, the Romanians loaded their prototype moon-balloon rocket onto the a large Romanian naval frigate, the Constanta, which took the entire crew out to the launch site in the Black Sea.

But as the balloon started to inflate, the inflation mechanism arms got tangled, and the entire operation had to be abandoned. The giant black balloon collects heat from the sun instead of using burners like hot-air balloons normally use, so it needs to launch during the day.

The Google Lunar X PRIZE challenges participants to construct a delivery system that will get a rover to the Moon, where the robot has to drive for about 500 meters, take high-resolution pictures of its surroundings, and then send them back home.

Undoubtedly, the ARCA team will try again.

Source:universetoday.com

Romania Twitter

Romania (pronounced /roʊˈmeɪniə/ archaic: Rumania, Roumania; Romanian: România is a country located in Southeastern and Central Europe, North of the Balkan Peninsula, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea. Almost all of the Danube Delta is located within its territory. It shares a border with Hungary and Serbia to the west, Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova to the northeast, and Bulgaria to the south.

The territory's recorded history includes periods of rule by Dacians, the Roman Empire, the Bulgarian empire, the Kingdom of Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire. As a nation-state, the country was formed by the merging of Moldavia and Wallachia in 1859 and it gained recognition of its independence in 1878. Later, in 1918, they were joined by Transylvania, Bukovina and Bessarabia. At the end of World War II, parts of its territories (roughly the present day Moldova) were occupied by the USSR and Romania became a member of the Warsaw Pact. With the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989, Romania started a series of political and economic reforms. After a decade of post-revolution economic problems, Romania made economic reforms such as low flat tax rates in 2005 and joined the European Union on January 1, 2007. While Romania's income level remains one of the lowest in the European Union, reforms have increased the growth speed. Romania is now an upper-middle income country economy.

Romania has the 9th largest territory and the 7th largest population (with 21.5 million people) among the European Union member states. Its capital and largest city is Bucharest (Romanian: Bucureşti [bukuˈreʃtʲ] ( listen)), the 6th largest city in the EU with 1.9 million people. In 2007, Sibiu, a city in Transylvania, was chosen as a European Capital of Culture. Romania also joined NATO on March 29, 2004, and is also a member of the Latin Union, of the Francophonie of the OSCE and an associate member of the CPLP. Romania is a semi-presidential unitary state.