Bucharest Babel Blog

PDL – the new presidential party

bucuresti — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 13:22:00 +01:00

At the beginning of December, Emil Boc (PD) şi Theodor Stolojan (PLD) announced the merger of parties lead by them and a new political force came into being in Romania: The Liberal Democrat Party. Otherwise, the merger was predictable since before the European Parliament elections, although officially denied, for it is no mystery that Theodor Stolojan is closed to Băsescu, and PLD received help from PD during election campaign, at “class master’s” indications.

Reactions from politicians were not delayed and each one was more diverse. UDMR’s Executive President, Kelemen Hunor said: “I think that things entered to a normal path, PD and PLD have been together until now, too. We wish them success and happy marriage. It is a sincere blessing because you do not have to talk to two partners anymore that actually mean a single one, now you talk directly to President Basescu when you talk to Democrat Party”.

The leader of the opposition main party, Mircea Geoană said: “I think that President Basescu applied the principle’I made you, I kill you’to his relationship with PD, because it is clear that this move is a winning one for Stolojan which is the new leader de facto of this party.” He insisted in thanking President for this move that, in social leader’s opinion, will favor PSD.

Stolojan’s former colleague, Ludovic Orban stated: “Basescu has commanded, Boc and Stolojan executed”, adding that this way it will be clear for Romanians who are the real liberals.

New party settlement is not welcome even for all PLD and PD members. Some of liberal-democrats say that will even leave the new party and will return to PNL. Already four PLD members from Vâlcea, 20 members of Pătrăuţi (Suceava) organization and mermers of Bistret (Dolj) branch have done this way.

Another incentive for merger is the introduction of uninominal vote. If this will be adopted, then the parties will have a much larger interest in merging than to make coalitions (taking into account that in a circumscription cannot win but one candidate, if the two parties would present their candidates separately, these would steal each others’ votes).

Was it a hasty gesture or an efficient strategy? We’ll see after the 2008 election, when the winners will be designated.

Author: Bătrân BogdanTranslation: Gheorghe Sturzu

The 35 euro-parliamentarians - on their way to Strasbourg

Camelia — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 16:40:00 +01:00

Today was the first working day for the 35 euro-parliamentarians, intended to represent Romania in the European Parliament after the elections on 25th of November.

The winner of these elections was the Democratic Party that sent to the European Parliament the biggest number of euro deputies, that is 13. The second place is granted to the Social Democratic Party with 10 euro-deputies, followed by the Liberal Democratic Party with 3 people and 2 from the Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania. Besides these parties, there is the independent euro deputy, Lazlo Tokes, also a representative of the Hungarian community in Romania.

The euro-parliamentarians from PD and UDMR will be part of the European family of the Populist Party, the PDS will go to the PES and the National Liberal Party to the ALDE group.

The difference between the voting results of the two first parties doesn’t seem to have been so significant, but it’s only due their political games.

PD got 28,81% of the votes, although polls were estimating 35% to 40%, while the PSD won 23,11% of the votes, in comparison to their prognosis of 19%-21%. Even so, the president of the party, Mircea Geoana declared himself dissatisfied with the result, saying that the PSD deserves the first place.

The truth is that PSD got the worst result ever and this is due, on one side, to the ruptures inside the party, to the stumbling voices inside (the differences between their members' opinions – if they have to sustain PNL or not, the negotiations to enter the government) and to the lack of authority that Mircea Geoana has. Additionally, their electoral campaign was weak, they used little financial resources, therefore the electorate could not be persuaded into giving its vote.

As for the PD, although winner in the elections, their percentage was quite unpredictably low. This was the consequence of Traian Basescu’s decision, (former president of the party and current head of state), who imposed the democrats to help PLD in the electoral campaign. Obeying the orders, the democrats have influenced their own electorate to vote the new created party, providing PLD the electoral spaces bought by themselves and sending their activists to take part in the manifestations organized by the PLD during the campaign.

According to the analysts, PD lost at least 4% of its votes because of these actions. Many leaders of the PD have declared themselves unpleased with Traian Basescu’s strategy.

The consiliation came this week with the fusion of the PD with the PLD into the Liberal Democratic Party (PDL).

The big losers, not able to go beyond the threshold were:the Greater Romanian Party (PRM), that didn’t get any seats in the European Parliament, with only 4,5% and the New Generation Party (PNG) of Gigi Becali (president of the football club Steaua) with 4.85%.

There was a low presence at the ballot for the European Parliament, only 29.46% of the population participated to vote. It’s a natural phenomenon, like the other countries experienced for the same elections.

by Camelia Paraschiv

Translation: Ana Maria Vasilache

WOULD YOU CARE FOR SOME CYANIDE?

bucuresti — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 10:37:00 +01:00

A. If the answer is YES: the product - to be stored in the ambient air, drinking-water or food - could soon become available for distribution on the Romanian market. It is expected that the offer will atipically exceed the demand, causing providers to deliver HCN compounds en gros and en detail, at the mere price of accidental exposure.

B. If the answer is NO: you can support the legal initiative to ban cyanide use in the mining industry at: http://www.faracianura.ro/vot.php.

The „Coalition for a Cyanide Free Romania” was initiated by several national as well as international environmental NGO’s. Civil society representatives developed this informative campaign aimed at supplying members of parliament with essential data prior to reaching a decision on the ban of cyanide use in mining. Initially drafted as a joint project by UDMR (The Democratic Hungarian Union in Romania) and PRM (Great Romania Party) alltogether, the Legislative proposal to extend article no. 4 of the Mining Law no. 85/2003 will be submitted to the vote of Romanian MP’s between December 15 and December 20.

Currently, no cases of cyanide use in the mining industry can be reported in Romania. The law proposal whatsoever aims at setting a national legal framework able to prevent environmental catastrophies from becoming recurrent in future. International opinion has portioned the effects of the ecological disaster at Baia Mare into a regular percentage which Romanian contributors have not finished delivering yet. Damage caused to the Hungarian side through cyanide discharge in the Tisa River is being payed by the Romanian state alone, since the Australian Mining Company „Esmeralda” went bankrupt straightaway. Consequently, as long as weaknesses in legislation are not rigurously addressed, similar events remain likely to occur.

Concerns center around the specific cyanide based exploitation proposed by the Canadian Mining Company „Rosia Montana Gold Corporation”. The prospected area to be melted comprises four villages situated in the Alba County. Out of these, Rosia Montana clearly stands out, having an unique archaeological heritage (Roman galleries), utmost diversity of flora and a multicultural community, already eroded. Against all security measures, potential accidents are likely to trigger cross-border consequences directly proportional with the dimensions of the project, which outweighs by far the above mentioned Baia Mare. The Romanian state will –again!- be made accountable by affected neighbours if RMGC follows the profit pattern by withdrawing in bankrupcy.

Furthermore, indirect effects upon human health go beyond common power of estimation, when it takes 20 tones of waste to manufacture one single golden ring. Complying with the environmental norms in order to avoid any short term health risks implies monitoring for only three categories of cyanide: free cyanide, weak-acid-dissociable (WAD) cyanide, and total cyanide, required by regulators. It does not imply monitoring other compounds nor preventing medium and long term effects. Among the states which, through power of precedent or example, have regulated the use of cyanides in the mining industry by banning it, we currently acknowledge Montana, Colorado, Wisconsin, Turkey, Honduras, Costa Rica, Peru, Philippines and Argentina. Inside the European Union, policies in this regard belong to the national sphere of reglementation. Germany, the Czech Republic and Greece have hitherto passed laws securing citzens’ protection relating exposure to cyanide by banning it.

by Geanina Turcanu

Photo: ww.faracianura.ro

Last round : No miracle !

Camelia — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 14:22:00 +01:00

There has been no miracle after these 120 days of negotiations between Pristina and Belgrade on the definition of a status in Kosovo. No agreement came out of these three last days of hectic negotiations in Baden near Vienna, Austria. No independence or even autonomy. No settlement on the status. Only remain the international protectorate and fears for the future.

However, as far as the outcome of this series of meetings is concerned, some nuances can be raised. Primo, we witnessed for the first time direct talks. The two sides sat face to face and shared their viewpoints. Secondly, another positive result came out which is far from being just a detail for the man in the street; in deed « the two sides have committed themselves to rule out resorting to force in the search of a solution » as one of the three mediators pointed out. In the name of the inhabitants of Kosovo we can rejoice.

Wolfang Ischinger, the European mediator added: “after the diners that followed the meetings, and we had two of them, Hashim Thaci with Agim Ceku the minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia and President Tacic spent hours to talk with no mediation or secretaries on different questions. We hope and wish that this level of communication will be preserved”. They spoke in Serbian.

In front of the journalists, the delegation from Belgrade repeated that they had made actual propositions in terms of autonomy and the Unity Team restated that negotiations for independence were useless. Hashim Thaci, winner of the last elections, yet convinced that independence is to come, indicated: “I’ll be doing anything to maintain good relations with the Serbians living among us. The program of our government, our economy, our development must respect the sake of every single Kosovars, not only Albanians; Kosovo must the country of all of its inhabitants” reports B92.com.

Besides, the three mediators have dissonant perspectives on the possibility of subsequent negotiations. The Russian mediator, A. Bocan-Harceko considers the continuation of the mediation after December 12th to be useful when American and European mediators, respectively F. Wisner and W. Ishinger consider their mission to end at this very same date.

From Madrid, the spokesman of the Secretary of the United Nations, Farthan Hak declared today that “optimism does not define the times we live in; however we do not want to give up and think that the troika must not renounce and rather that we have time.”

According to him, M. Ban Ki-Moon regards an agreement as being still possible and encourages the troika to remain engaged in the process of negotiations and do as much as possible before the deadline of December 10th in order to reach a consensus.

The three mediators have still in deed to meet again in Belgrade and Pristina on December 3rd and then write a report to be given to the General Secretary. It is therefore within the United Nations that the discussions will continue.

by Snejana Jovanovic

Translation : Cécile Zandvliet

La Parisienne

Part 2: No More Place for Beggars in Geneva

bucuresti — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 21:03:00 +01:00

The new law that renders beggary illegal in Switzerland, was approved on 30 November by 52 liberal and centrist votes against 30 green and socialist votes and 5 abstentions.

Although the plan of evacuation of the Roma shelters, their identification and control of their legal status in Switzerland has been effective – in some twenty Romanian Roma leaving Geneva after the 16 November police raid – the coalition strongly defended Romand citizens’ right to a begging-on-one’s-knees-free city. ‘We should not let people begging on the sidewalks in the name of human dignity’, Yves Nidegger of UDC maintained. The Green voices gradually faded away, despite noble slogans: ‘We cannot find an answer to exclusion in exclusion’, insists Mathilde Captyn (Les Verts).

Traian Basescu, President of Romania, met Micheline Calmy-Rey, Head of the Swiss Confederation, on 4 December, in Berne. The central topic on the agenda was the freedom of movement between the two states. Romania has many hopes from its partner, with the antecedent of one billion Swiss Francs that went to the 2005 new EU Member States and its own treasured memory of the Swiss financial aid for transition between 1992 and 2006. A possible further aid to Romania as a freshman in the European club will be subject of a referendum, according to federal law. With this fall’s agitation over the Roma beggary, one particular canton might not be as enthusiastic as one would desire.

by Ioana

Romanian child needs suicide to make his will heard

bucuresti — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 17:11:00 +01:00

Every single minute, one person commits suicide - worldwide. On Tuesday, 2 October, 06:02, this person was a 12 year old child from Romania. He decided not to live any more because he found no solution to his mother’s leaving. A potential scenario to be followed by any of the 60.000 children confronted with the same problem.

Lately, Romanian children left in charge of grandparents, relatives or friends became the protagonists of dramas ranging from reduced capacity to cope with schoolwork until depressions eventually generating suicidal actions. Surveys rank the North East Region first in the top of abandoned children - counties such as Suceava, Neamţ, Galaţi and Iaşi occuppying top positions. Psychologists report that over 80% of the children hospitalized in the County of Neamt ’suffer from pahtological diseases caused by the feeling of masked abandon’ . Their sufference is only temporarily alleviated by therapy.

Needless to explain, roots of depression reside in the damaging pseudo-familial environment where patients find themselves forced to return against recurrent attempts to escape. Desperate gestures motivating this far too recently acknowledged urge for promt intervention could have been avoided. The PRO TV media campaign, “Do you know how your kid has been doing lately?” succeeded in coagulating a lobby reaction from the part of the civil society towards this abnormal recrudescent behaviour. So far, 22.000 Romanian children have been deprived by both parents, as a consequence of the latter’s decision to work abroad.

Ideally, parents ought to secure new homes for their children after settling down. Against all invoked excuses, tuition is free in Italy and Spain, to mention but two destinations where one million Romanians are legally registered.

Otherwise, a ”National Authority for Protecting the Rights of Children” supervises the activity of 45 “County Directions for Child protection”. Nevertheless, they are not legally bound to develop coherent programs with the purpose of detecting problematic cases. Left unaddressed, this hysteria seems to have run out of control.

by Geanina Turcanu Credit Photo: Akane Kinomoto/Flickr

Bucharest: the Biggest Christmas Tree from Europe

Camelia — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 22:12:00 +01:00

300 workers, Romanians, Portuguese and Brazilians worked for one month and a half for realizing the biggest Christmas tree in Europe. Having 7th floors, 76 meters height and 300 tones, the huge tree lights up the Unirii Square with its over 2 millions lightings. The inauguration of the Christmas tree gathered over 70.000 people in the heart of Bucharest and caused many traffic jams. But the people are proud of having the highest Christmas Tree from Europe in their city.

1st of December - party day for Romanians

Camelia — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 21:28:00 +01:00

1st of December, the National Day of Romania, is, or at least should be, a day of joy and fun, a day for celebrating our history and realizing how many things we enjoy now, 89 years after the accomplishment of our national dream.

In 1918, Romania reunified its historical territories, Bucovina and Basarabia (presently the Republic of Moldavia) during spring, and on 1st December Transylvania, which was under Hungarian administration.

But nowadays people don’t seem to be that impressed by their historical past. Could be for the new international perspectives. Considering the last events in Italy and the xenophobic wave against Romanians, even Nicolae Furdui Iancu, interpreting the informal ode of our National Day, “We are Romanians”, at a concert in front of the National Theatre, seemed to lower his voice while singing its last lyrics: “We are the descendents of Traian” (the Roman emperor).

“You make Romania” was a one month campaign developed by Realitatea TV, where people could write on a wall, placed in the University square, their opinion about our country. On 1st of December they were asked whereas they feel either proud or ashamed of being Romanians.

Most of them claim they fell proud of their nationality, of the fact they are living in a free country where they benefit of the liberty of expression, they are proud of our traditions, our culture but on the other hand they fell ashamed of the political class, which they describe as being corrupt and with a low interest in solving their problems, they are ashamed of the bad image the Romanians have abroad and of living standards they have inside the country. Nevertheless they are optimistic, thinking that the situation will improve, step by step, now that we are an EU member state.

Many of them admit they don’t feel like celebrating the National Day, even though they admit such day should be celebrated. But the army parades and demonstrations are not moving them. Only the concerts and the inauguration of the city Christmas lightings still conceive that.

Romanian Roma’s Swiss Eldorado: One Step Away from Closure

bucuresti — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 15:52:00 +01:00

In a few months’ time, Geneva has become the new Romanian Roma Eldorado. Taking advantage of the new cantonal penal law of 27 January 2007 that legalises beggary, some 200 Roma – 77% of whom are Romanian – have hit the road and filled Geneva’s Chanel-flagranced streets.

In the city of human rights, people beg on their knees. Live statues by the doors of shops and super-markets, waggling bodies at the bank and post office entrances, the beggars provide a repellent view. From musical instruments to crutches and silent babies, the Roma mendicants reach for every possible tool of mercy. Their misery cries out at every step, from the commercial area in the city centre to the secluded river banks.

The picture went beyond troubling the local community and agitating the political class via the media: it resulted in a political plan aimed at discouraging the practice of beggary. Although this situation is far from being the first priority on the agenda, the outstretched hand poses ethical, social and public order problems that cannot be ignored. At the heart of the political wrestle is the new law on beggary that entered into force last January. Federal Councillor Laurent Moutinot’s initiative to abolish fines for acts of beggary brought about lively dispute among political rivals. The cherry on top of the cake was the decision to reimburse all the fines delivered from January on (in value of 100.000 francs ), under certain circumstances. Failing to anticipate the consequences of the law, the November wind saw Moutinot receding form his initial position, denouncing ‘the concerning evolution in the number of beggars’ in Geneva.

As a new type of tourism seemed to be unfolding, on 16 November, the police forces joined by social workers evacuated the Roma improvised shelters under the Arve river bridge and housed them in social protection centres. They are allowed to stay there for a maximum period of 10 days, after which the federal law on strangers will be enforced. This means that beggars found in illegal situations – ie, unable to justify that they have sufficient means to subsist – will be expulsed with no further notice. For the rest, the 90-day limit of tourist stay on Swiss territory will apply. Apparently, a travel aid will be provided by the authorities, under the form of bus tickets, as Isabelle Widmer, social service officer of the City of Geneva, stated for a local newspaper .

The evacuation process was qualified by human rights defenders as ‘correct’ . The principal Roma rights defender on the affair, Doris Leuenberger, lawyer and president of the Mesemrom association for the protection of Roma in Geneva, denounced the purpose of the action as not solely aiming to produce a certain malaise for the mendicants, but as being a clear police control measure: ‘In ten days, we will be in the same situation as today, with the difference that the police have the identity of each person. They are recorded and will be no longer authorised to enter Switzerland’ .

The local media devoted extensive attention to the volatile newly-installed community of Calvin’s city. From newspaper interviews with the unwanted bank door keepers that hardly can speak any French, to heart-breaking pictures of unimaginable misery and feature reports televised at peak hours . The Roma figures tell the same story of pauperism, rejection and discrimination that forces them to find their way to the West. ‘There’s a war against the Roma everywhere; it was better in Switzerland, everybody knew this in Romania. If in their turn they harass us and send us away, where are we supposed to go? To the moon?’ , Daniel confesses to a newspaper.

Ironically enough, the Romanian ambassador to the United Nations, Mr Doru Costea, is the current UN Human Rights Council president. Torn apart between ‘a certain malaise, a form of embarrassment’ and ‘a certain responsibility’, His Excellency seems uncertain about who exactly should manage the situation that induces these sentiments. ‘We can very well consider the Roma issue as a European matter. … But if it is a European matter, it is obviously a Romanian affair. … The Roma community should pose itself the same questions. … At the same time, we are certain that a part of the problem will not be solved but in collaboration with other countries.’

However, the fact that the Roma mendicants in Geneva possess a Romanian passport should reassure the Romanian government that it is their problem before every one else’s. The upcoming negotiation on the extension of bilateral accords on the free movement of persons should also provide them with an incentive to look into this issue more attentively.

by Ioana, Credit Photo: interet-general

First Bucharest - Paris Café

Camelia — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 14:30:00 +01:00

The second summit between the European Union and Africa is scheduled for the 8th and 9th of December - but will it really take place? Yet, at the head of the European Union until the end of 2007, Portugal has been working very hard on it. Lisbon was already the main instigator of the first official meeting between the European Union and Africa in 2000, in Cairo (Egypt). One of the top priorities of he EU was to counter the ever-growing presence of China in African economies.

The bone of contention jeopardizing the summit is between Zimbabwe and the United Kingdom. Since 2003, Tony Blair has always refused to participate to any official event to which the president of Zimbabwe Robert Mugabe was invited. Now head of the British government, Gordon Brown seems to adopt the exact same strategy: he threatens not to attend the summit if Mugabe is.

"Pan African solidarity regardless"

Even if numerous African leaders are opposed to the authoritarian government of Mugabe - at 83 years old he is the oldest head of state in Africa- most of them don't accept the critics coming from Europe, and would be ready to cancel the summit for solidarity’s sake. For example, take the Zambian president Levy Mwanawasa, that had previously compared Zimbabwe economic crisis and inflation of 8000% to the "sinking of the Titanic". Well, even Mr Mwanawasa would refuse to attend if Mugabe is not invited as well. "Gordon Brown may be right when he mentions the lack of rights and the state-organized repression in Zimbabwe, but when and the way he said it was inappropriate" confirms Takura Zhangazha, an independent Zimbabwean political analyst working for the AFP. Regardless, "When a European leader says that type of comments about an African state, it has consequences". Hence the question is: will the British Prime Minister change his mind before December? "It is a good thing that Mugabe takes part in the summit, if the goal is to confront him about his violation of laws and his lack of good governance in Zimbabwe" replies the political analyst Takavafira Zhou of the Harare University. And for the German head of state Angela Merkel, this option seems best, so as to "unveil all the critics" made about Zimbabwe's "disaster".

" 80% unemployment and a life expectancy of 37"

In truth, despite the British threats of boycotting the summit and the sanctions that are already targeting Zimbabwe, namely restrictions on official development assistance and freedom to travel - Mugabe can not set a foot in the European Union- despite all that, the ways of the Zimbabwean government have not changed one bit. And Gordon Brown to sadly confirm that the situation Zimbabwe is getting worse "Four millions people have left the country and because of the famine, another four millions are surviving thanks to food aid ... 80% unemployment and a life expectancy of 37" (Source BBC world). Even so, crucial topics are on the summit's agenda : foreign aid, consequences of climate change or the European military presence in Darfur (Source AngolaPress). Yet another fight that undermines the relationship between Africa and Europe - a love-hate relationship.

Landmark dates for Zimbabwe:

- 1885-1886 : colonization of Zimbabwe by the United Kingdom. At the head of the country is Cecil Rhodes, who will bestow his name to the Southern part of Zimbabwe (and now Northern Zambia): Rhodesia.

- 1980 : Robert Mugabe, leader of the radical fringe of the Nationalist Movement, is elected head of state at the first free elections. Part of the White minority goes into exile, but still controls most of the country’s resources.

- 1987 : establishment of a presidential regime. Mugabe is reelected in 1990 and 2002. His government becomes more and more authoritarian.

- 2000 : toughening of the land reform (expropriation of White farmers, using violent means). A severe economic crisis ensues.

- 2003 : Zimbabwe leaves the Commonwealth.

Johara BOUKABOUS / Translation : Juliette ABBESSE

The Parisienne

Bucharest – Paris Café

Camelia — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 14:06:00 +01:00

With more than 50 blogs all over Europe and 26 local offices, the Community of Babelians grew strong, providing us tools for a better interaction and a wider space for expressing our ideas and communicating easier in Europe our local news.

At the same time, the community and is getting more and more competitive. There is almost a struggle to get into the monthly top 10 of the best blogs.

To let our voice heard more on the Babelsphere, Bucharest team concluded a partnership on content providing with Paris editorial office, this being the first binding partnership between two babel blogs.

What does it mean in fact?

That we have a new section on the Bucharest Blog: Bucharest - Paris Café, where we’ll publish articles from La Parisienne, translated for each linguistic versions we have on our blog. And vice versa for the Parisian publication. Also, the link to the original article will be provided.

What is the point of this exchange?

We’ll gain more visibility for our Babel Blog and, along with it, a wider European public. We’ll have the opportunity to better communicate the European news related to Romania and to express our views about it.

Besides, we’ll increase the pan-European debate on the Babel Community, by facilitating the access to Eastern European perspectives and information.

5 languages for our European news

Our articles will be translated into French and Italian and, along with the linguistic versions we have, we’ll cover 4 out of 7 Babel Languages, plus Romanian.

Why Paris?

That’s a quite simple answer. Little Paris (like was named Bucharest in the 19th century) already has many binding relations with his elder brother, Paris, due to its Francophile profile.

Moreover, Paris team has a larger experience and, thus, a larger visibility on Babel Community (4th place in blogs’ top 10 in October). Besides, as active Babelians, we should let our European voice heard and interact more than once a year at the General Assembly.

We’re looking forward to a fruitful partnership with Paris and encourage others, between different babel blogs.

by Camelia Paraschiv

Credit Photo: Flag of France, orangejack/Flickr

Electoral Campaign with European Personalities

Camelia — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 07:11:00 +01:00

25th November - the date for the European Parliament Elections is approaching, so the electoral campaign is becoming more intense. Besides of making use of the Romanian crisis in Italy for drawing the debate into their favour, two of the most important parties brought last week to Romania, international guests to support them.

Mr. Graham Watson, leader of ALDE group in the European Parliament, came to Bucharest at the beginning of the last week to get more points for the National Liberal Party. Accompanied by Adina Valean and Cristian Busoi, two of the Eurocandidates already working in the EP, he had a few encounters with the students, where he expressed his belief that the liberalism is the only viable option for a real prosperous economy. According to his view, the socialists no longer have ideological maps, the nationalists are too xenophobes to make their way to Europe and the populists are cousins with the nationalists. Going further with his electoral speech, he stated that Mr. Tariceanu, the president of the National Liberal Party, will go down in history as one of the greatest Prime Ministers of Romania, all this in a context in which three Ministers of his Executive are accused of corruption, one of them was even suspended for this, not to mention its remarkable “succes”: zero absorption of the European cohesion funds this year.

On the other hand, the leader of the Social Democrat Party, Mr. Mircea Geoana, brought Sir Anthony Giddens to support his political views and, of course, to gain more popularity by facilitating a debate with the well known British sociologist, ex-political adviser of Tony Blair, for the students. Mr. Giddens talked about “the third way”, the reformed social democracy as being the key for a bright future both for Romania and for the EU. His discourse was less propagandistic than Ms Watson’s. Even if leading persons from the Social Democrat Party stated they will ask his advice for their political program, Giddens denied any collaboration of this kind with the Social Democrat Party, stating that their relations are based on a “natural affinity” for the left ideology.

At the same time, Sir Anthony Giddens received the title of doctor honoris causa from the National School of Political Studies and Public Administration, after a boring discourse of the Rector, Ms. Mihaela Vlasceanu.

As for the electoral campaign, apart of these conferences and a very few TV debates, you don’t even notice that we’re in the middle of it. Walking down the streets you rarely see a banner or a poster of a political party. Not to mention that most of our population doesn’t know exactly the date when the European Parliament elections take place. And from those who do know it, many don’t want to express their vote, not understanding the importance of these elections. Hopefully the things will get better, there are still two weeks to come till the elections.

by Camelia Paraschiv

Credit Photo: Graham Watson, Camelia Paraschiv, Anthony Giddens, llpo/Flickr

Freedom of movement inside the EU endangered by the Italian fascist spirit

bucuresti — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 18:06:00 +01:00

Freedom of movement inside the EU of European citizens is no longer guarenteed as Italian Government issued legislation contrary to this fundamental principle on which the European Union is built. According to this new law, the Italian authorities have already deported tens of Romanian citizens living in the peninsula, even though they enjoy the rights guarenteed by the European citizenship. The action came as a reaction against the Romanian minority living in Italy fallowing the killing of an Italian women by a Romanian immigrant.

The story of the tragic event that took place in Rome last week in which a Romanian citizen was involved was widely and aggresively covered by the Italian media and accordingly taken advantage upon by part of the Italian political class. The mayor of the Italian Capital City, Walter Veltroni, had been carefully paving the way for the wave of xenophobia Italy is now confronted with in his quest for popularity among the Italian citizens that on the one hand are overwhelmed by the consequences of globalization and europenization and, on the other hand, are still nostalgic for the fascist regime, their last moment of glory in recent history.

The situation in Italy has been constantly deteriorating during the last year and has been cleverly directed towards the outbreak of xenophobia by right-wing politicians. The extreme fragmentation of the Italian party-system after the break down of the Democrazia Cristiana and its consequences has undoubtely contributed to the rise of the level of insatisfaction among the Italian citizens who see themselves in a permanent electoral campaign caracterized by regular, if not weekly, party rallys in Piazza della Republica, next to the fascist symbol: "Altare della Patria". The instability of the present governing coalition led by Prodi, ilustrated by the impossibility to pass some important laws in the Senate which nearly led to Prodi's own resignation this spring, did nothing else but to accelarate the process of increasing insatisfaction and distrust of the citizens in the capabilities of state's institutions to manage their problems. The negative fertility rate that leds to an increasing demand of foreign labor, coupled with the stagnating economy has brought great frustration to Italians who are constantly falling behind more and more EU members.

In this context the immigrants have definetly become the "escape goat" of the frustrated Italian population in search of a new way of affirmation. As a result, the fascist spirit is being revived by clever politicians such as Veltroni, Umberto Bossi or Alessandra Mussolini, the grand-doughter of "Il Duce". They are the most representatives, but they are not by far the only ones, on the contrary, the list is very long and, worst of all, getting longer. This spring in Italy a former MP was preaching the creation of a sort of "civil guards" in each neighbourhood, as a result of the presumably increasing insecurity of the citizens. This is a classic example of the lost of confidence in the state's power to perform one of its main tasks: the protection of the citizens and their properties. But this initiative that I personally witnessed resembles to a great extent to that one in the early '20s, only that in those times the "civil guards" were called "le fasci nere", which was to become later "the fascist movement" that we all know.

The consequences of the Italian right-wing conspiracy can be seen not only in the internal arena, but, worst of all, on the European level. As a result of the defying and unprecedently-aggresive declarations made by Alessandra Mussolini against the Romanian immigrants, the Great Romania Party, member of the "Identy, Tradition, Suveranity" group in the European Parliament which comprises also Alessandra Mossolini's party, decided to withdraw from this group, which equals to its desmemberment.

But maybe the worst consequence of this whole story is that the measures taken by the Italian Government, severly under pressure from the extreme-right, and which are obviously contrary to Directive 38 of the European Commission which stipulated the illegality of such deportations, is likely to establish an extremely dangerous precedent in the EU. Indeed, other European states, encouraged by the lack of reaction of the European Commission or the Parliament to such measures, are preparing to enplace similar ones. It is mainly the case of Great Britain, but other Western European states with large number of immigrants may fallow.

Therefore, the community of those believing in the fundamental principles on which the European Union is built, on its 4 fundamental freedoms of movement (of goods, services, capital and labor), must urgently react and not allow Italy to establish such dangerous precedent by cancelling the piece of legislation that allows the deportation of foreigners considered dangerous without even a trial. This unprecedented crises shows that the European Union is at a cross-roads and it depends on all the stake holders whether it will choose the right paths, or, on the contrary, will make a big step backwords.

by Doru Frantescu Credit photo: silentman/Flickr

The vanity of our highest politicians drives Romania to chaos

bucuresti — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 14:22:00 +01:00

For the last weeks, the Romanian political scene was split by the disputes on organizing in the same day the referendum for the uninominal voting system and the European Parliament elections, especially because there will be used different human and financial resources for each ballot.

In this context, we should draw attention on the seriousness of the problem and emphasize the danger that threatens our democracy, considering the high distrust of our citizens for the public institutions and their defiance that they can govern our country properly.

I truly regret that the tensions between the two main institutions of the state, the Government and the Presidency, continue and even worsen, instead of starting a good cooperation for assuring the best conditions for the two ballots and for raising public awareness on the importance of voting participation. This political context is used for denigrating the political adversary and gaining popularity, all these on citizens’ expenses that find themselves, again, unable to understand what’s happening in our political scene.

There’s no doubt that the contradictory decisions taken by the two headquarters (the governmental and the presidential one) put the vanity of our politicians before the citizens interest and show once again that those who should represent our interests put little price on the people’s needs. Not even before the EP elections and the referendum - fundamental instruments of democracy - these vanities are not let apart, on the contrary, each tries to gain more popularity by throwing our country into chaos and making the other one responsible for that.

In addition to that, the dissatisfaction of Romanian citizens, that tend to feel even less represented, will bring consequences for the public institutions, increasing the crises in which they were brought into, by this political war.

Taking in consideration the difficulties of organizing the two ballots in the same time, the Government has to assume its responsibility for a proper organization and to take all the administrative measures needed. No matter the political origin of the problem, the Executive has to prove that is able to handle such a situation and its’ members to show if they deserve or not their ministerial charges.

by Doru Frantescu

Credit photo: vladsirghe2004

The Romanian real estate market

bucuresti — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 09:55:00 +01:00

In the past few years the Romanian real estate market has seen a soaring growth in terms of prices and number of transactions. What seemed a dead market almost 20 years ago is now a huge magnet for foreign capital investment. Only in the first quarter of 2007 real estate players have announced future investments of 22 billion Euro for the 2007 – 2013 period taking the total amount to a staggering level of 42.5 billion Euro to enter the market in the following 7 years.

But does this Eastern El-Dorado deserve its nick-name? Prices of apartments have grown in just three years with over 150%, this year alone the increase being of 60%. If we compare this with our neighbors the Bulgarians who’s market growth in terms of prices for the last year has been of only 5.4% we can see why people are rushing to get a slice of Romanian real estate. Let’s look also at Hungary who’s initial real estate development was mainly due to the European Union adhesion, the wave has passed and the market reached a consolidating period making it less interesting for the investors due to much lower rates of return.

In the United States comparable growth with the one Romania registered in the last three years was accomplished in 10 years, meaning a 127% increase from 1996 to 2006. The same thing can be said for the United Kingdom which registered a 144% increase from 1996 – 2007. However, these markets are on a bearish trend now as the crisis from the US has also heavily affected mature real estate markets beyond the borders of America.

Looking at the Romanian market, what exactly are the factors that determined this real estate boom? The demand-offer ratio is clearly tilted to the demand side, that could be easily explained by the lack of options the Romanian buyer has – either buy an old apartment (build in the communist era) or a new one located in a residential complex. The price is fairly the same ranging between 1100 and 1600 Euro/sqm considering an average apartment in both cases. Another factor is the low number of dwellings completed in a year . In 2006 only 1.8 apartments per 1000 persons were finished. Comparing this with our neighbors from the CEE the indicator is fairly small, Russia is at the top with 4.2, but also Hungary, Poland or Slovakia average around 3. Market players estimate a deficit of 700,000 to 1,000,000 dwellings in the next years that will be covered in the next 24 years if we consider the delivery rate from 2006.

All of the above underlines the potential of the Romanian real estate market even if analysts forecast a slowing down of market growth to 10 -15% for the next year and one digit growth rates for the following years.

Clearly this El-Dorado is somewhat of a promise land!

by Fraga Ghica

Failed an exam? Blame the interior design of Bucharest University

bucuresti — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 09:02:00 +01:00

Can the external look of the chemistry and journalism departments of the oldest Romanian university have an impact on how you study? Can the lighting, colours, decoration, symbols or general 'look' of a department influence the education process?

Founded in 1864, Bucharest University is the second oldest (after the University of Medicine “Carol Davila”, founded in 1855.) and most important state-university in the Romanian capital. Although in Romania there is a never-ending debate whether Bucharest University`s learning curriculum is modern and up-to-date or the other way round, this time we tried to investigate a totally different aspect: the influence the learning environment has upon students` academic performance.

Chemical reaction

The chemistry department is best described by the word 'classical.' It is quite sober, elegant and looks timeless. The dominant chromatic combination is warm white with quiet black, but the classrooms` furniture, the windows` frames or the stair’s balustrade often display different tons of brown. The long, quite narrowed halls (traditional feature) are balanced by the presence of larger spaces like the main entrance hall or the large staircase that leads us to the upper floors. 'I've never really paid attention to the department's interior design,' confesses Dana Ardeleanu, a first-year chemistry student. 'It’s not really eyecatching. It just looks the way a place dedicated to education should: calm and discreet.'

But second-year student Mircea Andrei has a different opinion. 'It’s too classical! It looks rather cold and impersonal. But maybe this is because I don't like any of the courses here either.' Mircea is convinced that a more dynamic environment could stimulate him to study more. 'Look at this building - how can we feel this place is ours? How can I learn, write, pass exams in a place that I feel I don’t belong to? '

Journalism

Meanwhile, the bright-coloured graffiti on the walls of the journalism and communication sciences have been created by the proud students themselves. These are actually journalism-related inscriptions, but only a graffiti expertcould notice it. 'Graffiti is a fresh and original art form which really represents our generation,' exclaims Andreea P. 'I love the light and the chromatic combination on these walls,' adds Alex C. 'But it’s not important if it’s painting, writing, caricature or graffiti - it just has to be something which looks 'young' to make us feel good.'

Do students get better grades if they feel their department is 'cool'? 'I think so, I have very good grades. I don’t feel uncomfortable at the thought of studying here,' says Andreea. ' I always study here because I don’t have time to study at home!' laughs Alex. 'I have a job and in comparison with my workplace, this place is a lot friendlier.'

Journalism students believe all European students should be given the chance to re-decorate their department. 'This would be the beginning of a more democratic education system,' says Alexandra D. 'It is not clear whether a more 'youth-friendly' learning environment would really make us get better grades, but it would certainly make us feel more confident and optimistic.' There is no future where is there is no desire to innovate!' concludes Alexandra

by Luciana Grosu

Premium Launch Event in Bucharest

Camelia — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 10:07:00 +01:00

Today took place our Community Launch Event in Bucharest, at 18h, within the University of Political and Administrative Studies.

Here you find a few pictures from it, more will be available soon.

Presentation of Cafebabel Community

Discussions with the VIBs invited

Start of our cocktail...unfortunately we ran out of batteries after taken this picture.

International Photo Salon

Camelia — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 03:09:00 +02:00

Starting with Sunday, October 21st, The International Showroom of Photography Art from Sibiu is celebrating its XII edition. With this occasion, The International Federation of Photography Art is awarding the organisers with a bronze medal.

The value of the International Showroom of Photography Art has been confirmed over the years through granting and the maintenance of the maximum quotation of stars given by FIAP and other specialised international organisations. This score is turning the Sibiu Showroom in one of the most valuable manifestation of this kind in the world.

The 12th edition of the exhibition is proceeding under the guidance of the International Federation of Photography Art (FIAP), of the Luxembourg Federation of Photography Art (FLPA) and of the Association of Photography Artist from Romania (AAF). The exhibition is organised at the Contemporary Art Gallery in Sibiu by the Photo club Orizont and the Culture House of Students.

This event is known to have brought in light and refigured the local photography movement. 2007 marks not only 25 years from the first edition of the International Showroom, but also the 10th uninterrupted editions under FIAP.

The International Showroom is a “two-steps” event. The first event, “Luxembourg at Sibiu” has been held at the end of august. The exhibition had 60 images from Luxemburg, made by photographer members of the Federation of the Photographer Amateurs and tried to make a bridge between the two Cultural Cities of Europe.

By Andreea Luciana Ion

Touring Romania

bucuresti — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 13:47:00 +02:00

The Rolling Stones, The Prodigy, Alice Cooper, Marylin Manson, Reammon, Pink, Muse, The Pussycat Dolls, Shakira...No, it’s not my blog’s playlist, but these are just few of the bands that have been touring our country this glorious year of 2007 and by doing so, they’ve added Romania on the map and on the touring agenda of other famous musicians.

Although most of the concerts and festivals were held in the capital, other important cities hosted concerts and gathered thousand of people, Romanians and foreigners, having different tastes for music genres.

For making a better impression that I’m not babbling around and about, here is a shortlist of our singing visitors.

Bucharest has been blessed this year with most of them. It hosted 2 huge festivals and several concerts. The Coke Live Festival held on an Island of fun, named Lacul Morii, gathered bands like The Prodigy, Incubus, The Rasmus, The Cult, Il Nino, Macy Gray, The Pussycat Dolls and some Romanian groups - Iris, Zob, EMIL, Coma. The main-stage measured over 300mp, the sound editing system reached 300.000W, with excess of ultra-bass requested by The Prodigy. All the technique, with the multiple lights and projectors, gigantic screens and sky-roses were all designed after the model of the famous European festival Roskilde.

A week after, between 29 June – 1st of July, followed B’Estival, three mad days full of unlimited fun and a shows, when more then 20 world-known artists came on stage, mesmerizing over 50.000 people. It has been really interesting to see rockers and rappers, children, youth and grown ups hanging together. I’m only going to mention (with excuses for all the other forgotten performers) Kasabian, Reammon, Pink, Faithless, Morcheeba, Wu Tang Clan, Hooverphonic, Yonderboy, Gabriel Rios, Alice Cooper and Marylin Manson – the last two made an onstage duet in premier...world premier that is!

The Rolling Stones must have been the summer’s attraction. On July 17th , the scene from the national stadium Lia Manoliu, the largest stadium in Romania, has been compared with a 5 floor building– a 60 m length opening, a depth of 17 m and 21 m height, weighting 200 tones and assembled by a group of 300 persons.

A hypnotic concert was given by Muse a few weeks ago, on October 8th in front of 10.000 alternative rock lovers. The Muse show was just like on MTV – explosive, powerful, with live and animated projections, graphic effects, colons of smoke and huge balloons filled with confetti.

Bucharest also humped and jumped and singed on Pet Shop Boys, Tori Amos, Tarkan and RBD.

Sibiu, the lovely medieval city in the heart of Transilvania, was this year at his 2nd edition of the Art Mania Festival when, during three days, rock icons gave their best show ever: Within Temptation, Anathema, Haggard, The Gathering, Tarot, My Dying Bride.

Targul Mures held the 5th Peninsula Festival, known as the little “brother” of the well known Sziget Festival. Translated in numbers, the festival had 4 big stages, a budget of 700.000 E, over 100 musical productions, about 200 non-musical productions, an almost impeccable organising, and more important, international bands: Theatre of Tragedy, Kosheen, Gogol Bordello, The Exploted, Locomotiv GT, Booze Brothers, but also many Romanian bands – Cargo, Directia 5, OCS, Phoenix, Zdob si Zdub.

It is a shame if, as a rock lover, you could not be in Vama Veche – a near the sea location – were Stufstock, at its 5th edition brought, during 4 days in august, bands with an international impact: Toy Dolls (GB), The Dandy Warhols, Defunkt (SUA), Last Hope (Bg), Sunshine (Ch), Klimt 1918 (It), Farfarello (Ger), our basarabian neighbours: Zdob si Zdub, ExNN, Trigon. Also, we had witness some new sounds, like indie rock, the post-punk and the new wave brought by The Mood, The Amsterdams, The Mushroom Story, Vive La Noiz.

Timisoara hosted the Latino rhythms of Shakira, who saw no impediment in obtaining the visa for Romania and performing in front of the fans who have been waiting her since ever.

Yet, the concerts season is far from over because we are expecting in October Deep Purple, The Chemical Brothers, Beyonce and in December Tiesto.

I’m counting down the days until next year’s festivals and concerts. And, since we began making a habit out of festivals and concerts, I hope I’ll be seeing you there, living through music!

by Andreea Luciana Ion

Youth employment

bucuresti — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 16:23:00 +02:00

We are being told that the more we study now, the more comfortable we’ll live later. We are being told to invest in our career. To participate at courses, trainings, internships, all kind of activities that can put you in competition with others like you. But nothing guaranties that once the university graduated we’ll obtain a well paid job, or we’ll manage to build a successful career, or even that we’ll work in the same field as the one we studied for. But also we don’t have to accept anything that comes in second hand. If you did study a lot, think about what you have learned and what you can use it for. Maybe somewhere in the future, it will be us the ones who rise the statistics for studies abroad, or the high quoted jobs!

One of the student’s biggest problems is the possibility of finding a job that corresponds to the study field you graduated. One the other hand, there are many students that have to find a job during their studies just to increase their income either for a full time or a part time job. Luckily for graduates, in Romania, the employers are stimulated to hire fresh graduated students, cause if they do it for an undetermined period contract, the employers obtain, during 12 months, subventions in quantum of 1 -1,5 raw base salary on economy. In the same time they have to maintain the work relations for a period of at least 3 years, while the graduates can follow professional training organized by the employer. All the necessary expenses will be supported from the budget of the unemployment insurance – on the request of the employer.

The employers receive:

1 minimum raw base salary at a country level, in force at the date of the work framing, for the graduates of the vocational education;
1,2 minimum raw base salary at a country level, in force at the date of the work framing, for graduates of highschool education;
1,5 minimum raw base salary at a country level, in force at the date of the work framing, for graduates of higher education.

According to an ILO research, when it comes about youth unemployment rate Romania holds the third place in Europe with a 9,9 %, but also a high position among the countries that practice “the black market work”. The high rate among youth is determined by a discordance between the study fields, the abilities requested on the market and the education’s system offer.

Although young graduates learn how to prepare themselves for a job interview, what kind of information should write in a resume, how to search for a job on the internet or at the Job Fairs, most of the times they confront with refusals. And this happens because the private companies or even the public institutions usually request a minimum of work experience. The paradox is that, between some experience, it is being asked young work force – meaning the exactly same young people who did not accumulate work experience. And this is where the stimulations we have talked above come on stage: the young candidate must only “remember” the employer all the facilities granted to the companies that hire graduates.

A proper solution for the diminution of the unemployment rate among youth is being presented by the Philips Plan for the unemployed instruction, developed by Ton Van de Bruggen. From two in two years the company, in collaboration with the syndicates, negotiate the categories which will be trained (young people that have abandoned school, young people over-skilled without a job, women, young minorities) and the number of persons that, after graduating the one year training program will become Philips employs. After their countable analysis, Philips won in 10 years 5 times the invested sum of money they have invested in this program (50.000 euro for trained worker), extending the project in Croatia and Morocco.

The success of the Philips Plan is due to a good cooperation between companies, the employees (which have donated monthly 0,3% of their salary), syndicates and the government, which had a financial contribution in supporting the initiative.

To be successful in your professional life you must take everything with a very great responsibleness and involvement. The job seeking has become in the last years a real battlefield and you must prepare in time and with carefulness a strategy of self presentation and to create a favourable image in front of the employers.

by Andreea Luciana Ion