MINELRES: Romania: Bulletin DIVERS on Ethnic Minorities - 9(137)/2005

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Divers Bulletin no. 9 (137) / March 14, 2005
News

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION ALLOTS SOME 400 PLACES FOR ETHNIC ROMA STUDENTS

EU REPRESENTANT DISAPPOINTED WITH THE STATUS OF ETHNIC ROMA IN SOUTHERN
ROMANIA

NEW PROJECT TO BUILD SOCIAL DWELLINGS FOR ETHNIC ROMA�

� AS WELL AS FOR LEGITIMACY OF PERSONS WITHOUT IDs

GOVERNMENT PROMISES SUPPORT TO RETROCEDE JEWISH PROPERTIES

WORLD HUNGARIAN UNION LEADER PRAISES HUNGARIAN YOUTH PROTESTS

ITALIAN COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS TO BE UNITED, LEADER SAYS


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News

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION ALLOTS SOME 400 PLACES FOR ETHNIC ROMA STUDENTS

BUCHAREST � For the academic year 2005/2006, Ministry of Education and
Research allotted 398 distinct places for the ethnic Roma candidates to
the university education.
At the registration, ethnic Roma candidates will show, besides the
documents requested by the faculties they want to attend to, a written
recommendation from a duly established organization of the ethnic Roma
(civic, communitarian, political), which certifies the appurtenance of
the ethnic Roma candidate to the Roma ethnics and not the fact he/she is
a part of that organization.
At the registration there are not accepted declarations of ethnic Roma
made on the own liability through the notary�s bureau or issued in that
respect by other institutions or organizations. In view of registering
to a faculty, the candidates will submit, during the registration period
settled by the respective high education department, a written request
to the chief secretary of the university (and not of the Rector or of
the faculty), so that this informs the faculty taken into account by the
candidates as regards the registration on a distinct place allotted to
ethnic Roma. 
Author: DIVERS


EU REPRESENTANT DISAPPOINTED WITH THE STATUS OF ETHNIC ROMA IN SOUTHERN
ROMANIA

DROBETA-TURNU SEVERIN � The chief of the Delegation of the European
Commission, Jonathan Scheele, stated on March 8, at the end of a visit
in Mehedinti county (southern Romania), the project financed through
Phare program on the social accession by means of training of some
ethnic Roma in Cerneti village, was correctly developed, but the target
has not been reached yet. In 2003, Mehedinti County Council requested a
European credit of EUR18,314 to accomplish a consultation department of
the ethnic Roma population in Cerneti village and to train them as
carpenters.
''We noticed a negative impact. The 15 persons attending this course
have not received a job on the labor market in Mehedinti after the
graduation. The local authorities should have got involved in the
employment promotion within this project'', stated Scheele.
''It is a human tragedy in that community made up of about 700 ethnic
Roma, 15 of whom we actively involved in production, as there is no
resource for a decent living standard'', also said the European
official. ''The flaws of this project are a lesson for we all, reason
for which we should better prepare the projects and we should eventually
foresee the difficulties'', also said Scheele.
During March 7-8, the European official Jonathan Scheele visited five
locations in Mehedinti county where there are developed projects
financed by the European Union.
Author: DIVERS


NEW PROJECT TO BUILD SOCIAL DWELLINGS FOR ETHNIC ROMA�

ARAD � On March 9, at Arad (western Romania), it was launched the
project �Social dwellings for ethnic Roma�, financed through Phare funds
within the program �Support for the national strategy to improve ethnic
Roma status� in the fields of small infrastructure and social dwellings.
The project will be accomplished within a partnership between the
Department of Development and Communitarian Assistance within the Local
Council of Arad County Seat, Department for Dialogue, Family and Social
Solidarity Arad, County Agency for Labor Recruitment and Christian
Association ''Neemia'' � the group of initiative of ethnic Roma in Arad
county seat.
The partnership aims at increasing the degree of social integration and
the improvement of the ethnic Roma living standard, through the
construction of ten social dwellings, houses with two rooms plus annexes
for the families with social risk and through employing 20 of the
members of this community who will effectively work at building these
dwellings.
According to Etelca Nagy, chief executive office with Arad, the
beneficiaries of this project will be ten young families of ethnic Roma,
who will live in the ten houses and who should be employed to
financially afford the maintenance costs. Other 250 persons who live
there will also benefit from the infrastructure to be accomplished in
the respective area.
The total budget of the project is of EUR234,101, of which the European
Union has a contribution of EUR168,301 and Arad Local Council EUR65,800.
Moreover, the Council will pay the afferent costs for establishing the
infrastructure in the area, costs forecasted to about ROL15 bn. The
project will be financed for 12 months, subsequently self-financing and
continuing the targeted activities. �This project contributes to the
accomplishment of at least two of the components of the Progran to
integrate the ethnic Roma�s families in the community, registered in the
Governing Program during the period 2005 - 2008, namely the labor
integration / participation through work at the development of the local
community and the development of the national programs on improving the
living standard, through collaborating with the civil society'', said
Etelca Nagy.
Author: DIVERS


� AS WELL AS FOR LEGITIMACY OF PERSONS WITHOUT IDs

CLUJ-NAPOCA � Over 90% of the ethnic Roma people in Cluj who do not have
IDs, will finally enter legitimacy, informs a press release. The
Prefect�s Institution in Cluj County, the County Council, the Police
Inspectorate of the County (IPJ) Cluj, the Department for Ethnic Roma
Communities and Organization Amare Phrala � Fratii Nostri started an
action to identify the ethnic Roma without IDs, to be released the
documents as soon as possible.
The checkups performed in 2004 showed that over 350 ethnic Roma persons
did not have IDs at the beginning of the action or the validity period
of the document had expired. Most of them claimed this situation is
caused by the lack of money to be released the documents.
Over 60% of these persons, namely 194 ethnic Roma citizens, were already
investigated by IPJ Cluj and were released the IDs. For the time being,
the number of ethnic Roma citizens without IDs rises to 156, 38 of whom
are under-aged.
About 27,860 ethnic Roma citizens live in Cluj county, most of whom are
in the peripheral districts.
Author: DIVERS


GOVERNMENT PROMISES SUPPORT TO RETROCEDE JEWISH PROPERTIES

BUCHAREST � Romanian Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu promised on
March 4, to support the Jewish community in Romania to acquire the
properties confiscated by the communist regime as well as by the
legionary one.
The problem to retrocede the properties confiscated by the communist
regime is subject to various files prosecuted by ECHR.
Tariceanu says the restitution is made with difficulties and in some
cases, it is even impossible, as some of the dwellings or houses are
currently occupied by local institutions.
Premier Tariceanu said �the Government undertakes to help the local
administrations to identify suitable locations for the institutions
currently occupying the confiscated properties and that were restituted
according to the law. We aim the restitution is made in kind and where
this is not possible, the duly owners receive suitable compensations. In
that respect, I want to stress out we asked privatization agency AVAS,
as it is the authorized institution, to establish a fund of 20% of the
privatizations dealing with the compensations in money and not in kind�,
also said Premier Tariceanu.
Author: DIVERS


WORLD HUNGARIAN UNION LEADER PRAISES HUNGARIAN YOUTH PROTESTS

CLUJ-NAPOCA - The president of the World Union of Hungarians, Patrubany
Miklos said that Hungarian Deputy Eorsi Matyas, who was prevented from
holding a conference in Cluj by young Hungarians' protests, "got what he
deserved in Transylvania."
Last week, several representatives of the Hungarian Youth in
Transylvania blocked Eorsi's access to the conference hall, as a protest
to the Hungarian deputy's refusal to support a national referendum on
double citizenship for Hungarians living outside their country's
borders.
"The young people showed him a 'no,' just as he said 'no' to the
referendum held on December 5, 2004," said Patrubany. He accused Eorsi
of breaking Hungary's Constitution, by declaring himself against the
referendum.
Patrubany said his organization asked the Hungarian government to make a
decision regarding the issue of double citizenship by the end of the
year. "If they don't, we will start procedures and gather signatures to
organize another referendum next year," he said.
The World Union of Hungarians organized the referendum on December 5
last year. The Hungarian Youth in Transylvania strongly supported the
referendum and believes the Hungarian Liberal-Democratic Alliance, of
which Eorsi is a member, is to blame for its failure.
Author: DIVERS


ITALIAN COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS TO BE UNITED, LEADER SAYS

BUCHAREST - The Italian minority's Parliament representative, Mircea
Grosaru, would like to change authorities' general perception of this
minority, by creating a strong organization which would benefit from the
financial and national heritage rights as specified by both Romanian and
Italian laws. Grosaru said he is fighting for the unification of all
Italian organizations in Romania, as only "united in a strong
organization can we have access to all the money the government gives to
the minority, 5 billion lei (about 138,000 euros) per year."
The amount may seem large, but of all the national minorities, the
Italians actually get the lowest amount, said Grosaru. This is because
in the 2003 census, only 3,288 Italians acknowledged their ethnic
origins, he explained. In his opinion, there are over 100,000 Italians
in Romania, but many did not declare their origins probably "because of
poor management." He said that the minority was not properly represented
and could not convince the state they need more money and Italian
authorities that they need support.
The Romanian and Italian governments have recently signed an agreement
for economic, cultural, scientific and educational collaboration, which
will primarily be promoted by the Italian community.
Grosaru said he will also fight so that the community regains all its
former properties in Romania. "Of the 18 minorities acknowledged in
Romania, it seems that only the Italians did not regain the houses and
properties it had some time ago (...). I am determined to go through
with this, to get back the Italians' former properties, even if I have
to go to court," concluded Grosaru. 
Author: DIVERS


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