MINELRES: Romania: Ethnic Diversity Briefs, No.23

[MINELRES moderator]

Original sender: Mediafax <divers@mediafax.ro>


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No. 23 / September 16, 2002

DIVERS
- reporting ethnic diversity -

SUMMARY
1. "SITUATION NOT SO FINE IN IMPLEMENTING ROMA STRATEGY", PRIME MINISTER
2. EURO 4 M FROM THE EU FOR ROMA COMMUNITY
3. ROMA PEOPLE CANNONT BE PROVIDED BILINGUAL PLATES
4. GREEK ORGANISATION EDITS SUBJECT BOOK IN NATIVE LANGUAGE
5. IS MOLDOVA CHANGING ITS POLICY TOWARD ROMANIAN LANGUAGE?
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"SITUATION NOT SO FINE IN IMPLEMENTING ROMA STRATEGY", PRIME MINISTER
BUCHAREST - Romanian Prime Minister Adrian Nastase stated on September 6
as being discontented of how the strategy for improving social
conditions of Roma people is implemented, saying that in this case
"things are not so fine".
"The strategy has been enacted, but then forgotten in a drawer. As well,
various county commissions and offices were set up for Roma people. But
it is not enough to destroy some stands illegally constructed, to chase
the gypsies or send them home. They do not enjoy the concept known as
<<home>> and they were not given lands, as they had never possess them
before ", added Adrian Nastase. He stated that Roma problematics is not
only of Romania's concern, but of European level.
Nastase demanded the prefects to get more involved locally in solving
the situation of Roma. "The strategy passed by the Government must be
implemented reasonably in each county and locality where Roma people
also live in ", pointed out chief of the Government. As a reply to the
statements of the Prime Minister, the experts of the County Bureaus for
Roma, part of Prefect's Offices - those who actually should deal with
the Strategy enforcement - complain over lacking the necessary resources
to develop their activity. (DIVERS)

EURO 4 M FROM THE EU FOR ROMA COMMUNITY
BUCHAREST - European Union announces to unblock the budget worth of Euro
4mln for programs related to the access of the disadvantaged groups to
education, namely as it is the case of Roma communities. The program
will be run in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Research
and mainly aims at increasing reserves and improving preschool education
conditions, in order to stimulate school enroll of children according to
the age, chiefly for the children in disadvantaged groups, at
intensifying impetus for children to graduate compulsory education
(prevention from school dropping out), assuring the second chance for
the persons who have not finished the courses of the compulsory
education (recovering those who dropped out). The finance may be
demanded by County School Inspectorates in partnership with County
Boards and/or NGO-s holding experience in education and minority
protection field. The project lasts for at maximum 18 months. (DIVERS)

ROMA PEOPLE CANNONT BE PROVIDED BILINGUAL PLATES
BUCHAREST - Though in almost 300 localities of the country Roma ethnics
represent at least 20% of the population total, they cannot be
beneficial of the right conferred by the administration Law regarding
the use of bilingual plates. The reason is that Roma people never have
had written history, while the researchers never found any correspondent
in Romanes language for the name of localities. Still there are some
localities where the administration law has been enforced. In Dragesti
communal from Bihor county, mayor Moise Judea decided to install
bilingual plates, but they were not welcomed either by Roma people or by
the main population, thus eventually they even disappeared. (DIVERS)

GREEK ORGANISATION EDITS SUBJECT BOOK IN NATIVE LANGUAGE
BUCHAREST - Greek Union from Romania (UER) has recently worked out
bilingual subject book for the second grade, dedicated to the students
of the Greek origin. The initiative seems to be part of a program
financed by the Romanian Government, pledging to accomplish such subject
books for the I-VII grades. In Bucharest, Greek minority classes can be
found at one elementary school. In addition, UER has organized many
camps for children in Greece, chiefly due to collaboration led with the
Town Hall of Teba city. (DIVERS)

IS MOLDOVA CHANGING ITS POLICY TOWARD ROMANIAN LANGUAGE?
CHISINAU - In a surprisingly interview with the government paper Moldova
Suverana, Justice Minister Ion Morei said on 10 September that Romanian
and Moldovan are the same languages. "As we are talking about the same
language, Moldova's Constitution should be modified to assert the fact
that the Moldovan language is identical to the Romanian language," Morei
said. Article 13 in the Constitution sees that "the official language in
Moldova is the Moldovan language." Morei added that a possible
modification of the Constitution is also needed because Moldova two
months ago ratified the European Convention on Regional Languages.
According to the minister, the linguistic problem in Moldova "became a
Gordian knot," as "it was exaggerated and maybe deliberately
politicized." The distinctiveness of Moldova's history and language has
been a recurring feature of disputes over the school curriculum in
Moldova and broader civil unrest this year. Observers expressed surprise
at Morei's statement, as he is famous for his anti-Romanian postures.
(DIVERS)

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