The European Adventures of Five Romanians

A teacher, a vegetable gardener, a farmer, an artisan and an agro-tourism investor agreed to take part in an original experiment: 48 hours in a country of the EU. Their impressions and conclusions are the subject of a TV show.

From the Danube Delta, Dolj, Vrancea, Apuseni and Buzau straight to France, Germany, Ireland, Spain and Holland. This has been the experience felt by the five Romanian peasants, at their first out-of-the-country trip. They had the chance of seeing the way in which European citizens, having similar jobs, live and work. With the help of journalist Emil Hurezeanu, the teacher in Pirita discussed with the Irish teacher, the vegetable gardener in Ghidici saw the products of his counterpart in Holland, the artisan in Vrancea met the one in Spain, and the farmer in Cilibia enjoyed talking with the one in Germany. Their stories, what they saw and understood, can be seen in a TV show produced by the European Commission’s Delegation in Romania, through EU’s programme Phare Informing and Communication. The show "Me and Europe" can be watched every Sunday, at 10:30, on TVR1 for five weeks.

REACTIONS. The visit of the five Romanians in EU did not last all the 48 hours but the impact had been extremely strong, as they themselves said. "I can’t believe my eyes", "I didn’t believe the European financing is for people like me", "I have new ideas now" are few of the reactions belonging to the Romanians who saw with their own eyes the Union methods of the work they do in Romania.

CONCLUSIONS. Traian Apostu is an agro-tourism investor in Murighiol, in the Danube Delta. "I’m from Galati, from Murighiol and from Europe in the same time", he recommends himself. In the Delta he has a 15 room pension, which is quite profitable, though he never advertised it, didn’t see the way in which these things work abroad, didn’t ask for any financing. "There hasn’t been anyone, not the most important people, in our region to tell us there are European funds that one can use according to his needs", says Apostu, who admits he didn’t believe these funds were for people like him. He found out the opposite when talking to Alain de Liberos, a pension owner in France.

IN IRELAND. When in Dublin, Ireland, teacher Nicolae Narita didn’t believe his eyes. He teaches at a school where 80% of the pupils are Romany. He found out that in Ireland there are rural schools especially created for the migrants’ children, for families with little money, and that most of the programmes of these schools are financed by European programmes.

Pavel Lupasc, artisan from Vrancea, found out that pottery producer Arturo Mora received money from EU to buy a traditional wooden oven, hundreds of years old. He also found out that, in Spain, there are a lot of people’s artists organizations that demand grants and project financing.

In Germany, farmer Felicia Stoian, from Buzau, saw the way the farm was organized, the animal breeding, and methods to obtain the grants. "When at home, I’ll probably organize the stable in another way, the Germany experience gave me ideas", she said.

IN HOLLAND. Angela Cazan, vegetable gardener in Dolj, visited an organic farm, in a little town near Amsterdam. She found out that there the biological products, the same she produces back at home, are very wanted, but that the people associate and work easier and better this way. "Well, in our village, no one trusts anyone. How can we buy equipments together in order that all of us would be able to use them? This is not something you see in our village, where brothers don’t reach a common conclusion, and what can there be said about partners?!".