The Romanian Population
In July 2013, authorities said Romania's population has fallen to just over 20 million, the result of a falling birth rate and by Romanians migrating in search of work, mainly to Western Europe.
The results published come from the 2011 census and show the population has fallen by some 1.55 million since the 2001 census. When communism was overthrown in 1989, Romania had a population of 23 million, one of the largest in Eastern Europe.
However, the country has a falling birth rate, an aging population like much of Europe, and millions have migrated to Spain and Italy to work.
Romania has 1.23 million ethnic Hungarians and officially 620,000 Roma although there are believed to be twice that as some Roma do not declare their ethnicity due to widespread prejudice. [6]
Although 30 per cent of the population still lives under the nationally-established poverty line, this figure is beginning to improve. The poverty rate is higher in rural areas than in urban ones, and there are big regional differences.
At present the unemployment rate is 7.5 per cent (2013 est.). Agriculture employs 30 per cent of the population, industry 23 per cent and services 47 per cent.
In spite of the improving standard of living, many people are moving abroad. The promise of a better life in another country lures many people into the hands of human trafficking organisations. Since 2008, Romania has become the largest supplier of sex workers to other EU countries.
The health system is facing challenges: not only is it experiencing budget cuts but also corruption and shortage of drugs and staff - the latter form a significant percentage of those emigrating abroad in search of better working conditions. Parents who move abroad often leave their children behind, in most cases in the care of relatives. In 2008 over 96,000 cases were reported.
The results published come from the 2011 census and show the population has fallen by some 1.55 million since the 2001 census. When communism was overthrown in 1989, Romania had a population of 23 million, one of the largest in Eastern Europe.
However, the country has a falling birth rate, an aging population like much of Europe, and millions have migrated to Spain and Italy to work.
Romania has 1.23 million ethnic Hungarians and officially 620,000 Roma although there are believed to be twice that as some Roma do not declare their ethnicity due to widespread prejudice. [6]
Although 30 per cent of the population still lives under the nationally-established poverty line, this figure is beginning to improve. The poverty rate is higher in rural areas than in urban ones, and there are big regional differences.
At present the unemployment rate is 7.5 per cent (2013 est.). Agriculture employs 30 per cent of the population, industry 23 per cent and services 47 per cent.
In spite of the improving standard of living, many people are moving abroad. The promise of a better life in another country lures many people into the hands of human trafficking organisations. Since 2008, Romania has become the largest supplier of sex workers to other EU countries.
The health system is facing challenges: not only is it experiencing budget cuts but also corruption and shortage of drugs and staff - the latter form a significant percentage of those emigrating abroad in search of better working conditions. Parents who move abroad often leave their children behind, in most cases in the care of relatives. In 2008 over 96,000 cases were reported.
Rural populations
Poverty has a firm grip on Romania’s rural areas, where almost half (44 per cent) of the population lives. In 2003 the UNDP Human Development report estimated that 38 per cent of rural people were living in poverty, compared with 14 per cent of people in urban areas. Rural people are particularly vulnerable to the hardships brought by the painful economic and social transition after the collapse of communism.
The restructuring of the farm sector led rural people and displaced industrial workers to revert to subsistence farming on privatized land. Productivity and incomes are low because poor subsistence farmers and livestock producers have limited inputs and resources. They use outdated farming methods, and they have little or no access to capital and markets.
The overall poverty rate almost doubled in the late 1990s from 20 per cent in 1996 to 35 per cent in 2000, as the country struggled to stabilize the economy. Since then, increased stability and more rigorous reforms have led to stronger economic growth and an improvement in living conditions. On the 2007 UNDP Human Development Index Romania ranked 60th out of 177 countries, a rise from 64 in 2005.
The country’s poor people are subsistence farmers, unemployed rural workers and women who are heads of households. The poorest people live in remote mountainous areas, where infrastructure and social services are lacking.
Low agricultural productivity is one of the main causes of poverty in rural Romania. Poor small-scale farmers do not have the collateral to secure loans that would enable them to invest in agricultural inputs and equipment to improve their incomes. And in rural areas there are limited opportunities for formal employment opportunities, partly because of minimum wage regulations, high payroll taxes and the rigid labour code. Inadequate social services, reflected in the poor condition of rural health centres, long distances to schools and poor sanitation facilities, also contribute to rural poverty. [7]
“It’s like stepping back in time.”
How often have you heard this phrase? Probably plenty. But how often has it actually been true?
Well, in the rural villages of Romania, this phrase rings incredibly true — when you visit, you really DO feel like you have done a time warp and been transported back at least a handful of decades, if not even more.
The restructuring of the farm sector led rural people and displaced industrial workers to revert to subsistence farming on privatized land. Productivity and incomes are low because poor subsistence farmers and livestock producers have limited inputs and resources. They use outdated farming methods, and they have little or no access to capital and markets.
The overall poverty rate almost doubled in the late 1990s from 20 per cent in 1996 to 35 per cent in 2000, as the country struggled to stabilize the economy. Since then, increased stability and more rigorous reforms have led to stronger economic growth and an improvement in living conditions. On the 2007 UNDP Human Development Index Romania ranked 60th out of 177 countries, a rise from 64 in 2005.
The country’s poor people are subsistence farmers, unemployed rural workers and women who are heads of households. The poorest people live in remote mountainous areas, where infrastructure and social services are lacking.
Low agricultural productivity is one of the main causes of poverty in rural Romania. Poor small-scale farmers do not have the collateral to secure loans that would enable them to invest in agricultural inputs and equipment to improve their incomes. And in rural areas there are limited opportunities for formal employment opportunities, partly because of minimum wage regulations, high payroll taxes and the rigid labour code. Inadequate social services, reflected in the poor condition of rural health centres, long distances to schools and poor sanitation facilities, also contribute to rural poverty. [7]
“It’s like stepping back in time.”
How often have you heard this phrase? Probably plenty. But how often has it actually been true?
Well, in the rural villages of Romania, this phrase rings incredibly true — when you visit, you really DO feel like you have done a time warp and been transported back at least a handful of decades, if not even more.
Romania's richest
via Romania Insider - Romania’s top 500 richest people have cumulated wealths of some EUR 18 billion, according to the Forbes 500 Billionaires 2014, launched on October 23. A few notable movements can be highlighted in the top 10: Ion Tiriac went up to the 2nd position, and Dan Adamescu’s wealth shrinks, sending him on a lower position.
1. Romanian businessman Ioan Niculae (opening photo) is still the richest Romanian, with an estimated net worth of EUR 1.1 billion, according to this year’s edition of the Forbes 500 Richest Romanians ranking.
Niculae, 60, has held the first place in the Forbes Romania ranking for the last three years as the country’s only true billionaire. Niculae’s largest business is Interagro, an integrated agri-business holding which includes six fertilizer plants in Romania, one bio-ethanol plant, large agriculture exploitations which produce anything from grains to wines, grain silos, cogeneration power plants, fodder plants, animal farms, as well as oil, bread and meat factories. He also controls a tobacco processing factory, two hotels and a football club, Astra Giurgiu, which this earlier this year won the Romanian Cup.
2. Second comes former Romanian tennis player Ion Tiriac, who has made a strong comeback in the ranking in the last two years. Tiriac’s fortune is closing in to EUR 1 billion, according to Forbes estimates. The 75-year old businessman owns high minority stakes in some of the largest businesses in the financial sector. He owns 45% of UniCredit Tiriac Bank, one of the country’s top five lenders, and 44.5% of Allianz-Tiriac Asigurari, one of the largest insurance companies in Romania. There have been rumors this year that Tiriac is negotiating the sale of his stake in UniCredit Tiriac Bank to Italian group UniCredit. Tiriac also owns Tiriac Auto, one of the largest car dealerships in Romania, which controls three auto importers – Hyundai Romania, M Car Trading (Mitsubishi importer) and Premium Auto (Jaguar and Land Rover importer) -, as well as local Mercedes and Ford dealers.
Tiriac owns a premium residential and leisure compound in Northern Bucharest, Stejarii Country Club, a car museum with more than 300 models, which include some rare luxury cars, and an energy business. The former tennis player also holds the license to organize the Madrid Open, one of the most important tennis tournaments in the world.
3. The third richest Romanian is Frank Timis, the creator of Gabriel Resources, the company which holds the rights for the gold exploitation in Romania’s Rosia Montana. He sold the company many years ago to Canadian and American investors and now he is investing in Africa. His companies, African Minerals and African Petroleum, which are listed in London, own iron ore mines and oil perimeters in West Africa, a region strongly affected now by the Ebola outbreak. His companies’ shares have declined in the last year, and so did his fortune, now estimated at some EUR 650 million. Timis is 50 and lives in London.
4. Dan Adamescu, 66, has lost his status as one of the most discrete businessmen in Romania after he was dragged to the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA), earlier this year and even arrested for a period, in a bribery case. He is accused of bribing judges to get favorable sentences for his companies. Adamescu’s troubles went beyond this, as his main asset, insurance company Astra Asigurari, was placed under special administration at the beginning of this year. His net worth declined to EUR 550 million, which makes him fourth in the Forbes ranking. Adamescu still owns valuable assets such as the Unirea Shopping Center and the Intercontinental hotel in downtown Bucharest, a mall in Brasov, the Rex hotel in Mamaia and some office buildings in Bucharest, including the one which hosts the Bucharest Stock Exchange headquarters.
5. Veronica Gusa de Dragan is the richest Romanian woman, although she doesn’t live in Romania but in Palma de Mallorca, in Spain. She is Iosif Constantin Dragan’s widow. She controls the Butan Gas LPG business. Her wealth is estimated at some EUR 550 million.
6. Next comes Gabriel Comanescu, on six, with an estimated fortune of EUR 520 million. Comanescu, 46, owns Grup Servicii petroliere, which controls several offshore rigs and oil transport vessels, Upetrom 1 Mai Ploiesti, an oil&gas equipment factory, a shipyard in Constanta, and a five star hotel in Mamaia, hotel Vega.
7. Brothers Dragos and Adrian Paval, the owners of the Dedeman do-it-yourself store network, went up to number seven, with an estimated fortune of EUR 420 million. Dedeman has become one of the most successful entrepreneurial businesses in Romania, with more than EUR 600 million in sales in 2013.
8. Gruia Stoica and Vasile Didila, the owners of Grup Feroviar Roman, the largest private railway transport business in Romania, have had some problems this year. Gruia Stoica, was arrested and then prosecuted in the beginning of this year, for buying influence. His fortune is now estimated at some EUR 420 million.
9. Ovidiu Tender is ninth in this year’s ranking, with a EUR 400 million estimated net worth. He has been investing in Africa, Asia and Cuba, in recent years. He owns Prospectiuni Bucuresti, the largest prospecting company in Romania.
10. The top ten is completed by Zoltan Teszari, the founder and most important shareholder of RCS&RDS, the largest Romanian-owned telecommunication business on the market. [8]
1. Romanian businessman Ioan Niculae (opening photo) is still the richest Romanian, with an estimated net worth of EUR 1.1 billion, according to this year’s edition of the Forbes 500 Richest Romanians ranking.
Niculae, 60, has held the first place in the Forbes Romania ranking for the last three years as the country’s only true billionaire. Niculae’s largest business is Interagro, an integrated agri-business holding which includes six fertilizer plants in Romania, one bio-ethanol plant, large agriculture exploitations which produce anything from grains to wines, grain silos, cogeneration power plants, fodder plants, animal farms, as well as oil, bread and meat factories. He also controls a tobacco processing factory, two hotels and a football club, Astra Giurgiu, which this earlier this year won the Romanian Cup.
2. Second comes former Romanian tennis player Ion Tiriac, who has made a strong comeback in the ranking in the last two years. Tiriac’s fortune is closing in to EUR 1 billion, according to Forbes estimates. The 75-year old businessman owns high minority stakes in some of the largest businesses in the financial sector. He owns 45% of UniCredit Tiriac Bank, one of the country’s top five lenders, and 44.5% of Allianz-Tiriac Asigurari, one of the largest insurance companies in Romania. There have been rumors this year that Tiriac is negotiating the sale of his stake in UniCredit Tiriac Bank to Italian group UniCredit. Tiriac also owns Tiriac Auto, one of the largest car dealerships in Romania, which controls three auto importers – Hyundai Romania, M Car Trading (Mitsubishi importer) and Premium Auto (Jaguar and Land Rover importer) -, as well as local Mercedes and Ford dealers.
Tiriac owns a premium residential and leisure compound in Northern Bucharest, Stejarii Country Club, a car museum with more than 300 models, which include some rare luxury cars, and an energy business. The former tennis player also holds the license to organize the Madrid Open, one of the most important tennis tournaments in the world.
3. The third richest Romanian is Frank Timis, the creator of Gabriel Resources, the company which holds the rights for the gold exploitation in Romania’s Rosia Montana. He sold the company many years ago to Canadian and American investors and now he is investing in Africa. His companies, African Minerals and African Petroleum, which are listed in London, own iron ore mines and oil perimeters in West Africa, a region strongly affected now by the Ebola outbreak. His companies’ shares have declined in the last year, and so did his fortune, now estimated at some EUR 650 million. Timis is 50 and lives in London.
4. Dan Adamescu, 66, has lost his status as one of the most discrete businessmen in Romania after he was dragged to the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA), earlier this year and even arrested for a period, in a bribery case. He is accused of bribing judges to get favorable sentences for his companies. Adamescu’s troubles went beyond this, as his main asset, insurance company Astra Asigurari, was placed under special administration at the beginning of this year. His net worth declined to EUR 550 million, which makes him fourth in the Forbes ranking. Adamescu still owns valuable assets such as the Unirea Shopping Center and the Intercontinental hotel in downtown Bucharest, a mall in Brasov, the Rex hotel in Mamaia and some office buildings in Bucharest, including the one which hosts the Bucharest Stock Exchange headquarters.
5. Veronica Gusa de Dragan is the richest Romanian woman, although she doesn’t live in Romania but in Palma de Mallorca, in Spain. She is Iosif Constantin Dragan’s widow. She controls the Butan Gas LPG business. Her wealth is estimated at some EUR 550 million.
6. Next comes Gabriel Comanescu, on six, with an estimated fortune of EUR 520 million. Comanescu, 46, owns Grup Servicii petroliere, which controls several offshore rigs and oil transport vessels, Upetrom 1 Mai Ploiesti, an oil&gas equipment factory, a shipyard in Constanta, and a five star hotel in Mamaia, hotel Vega.
7. Brothers Dragos and Adrian Paval, the owners of the Dedeman do-it-yourself store network, went up to number seven, with an estimated fortune of EUR 420 million. Dedeman has become one of the most successful entrepreneurial businesses in Romania, with more than EUR 600 million in sales in 2013.
8. Gruia Stoica and Vasile Didila, the owners of Grup Feroviar Roman, the largest private railway transport business in Romania, have had some problems this year. Gruia Stoica, was arrested and then prosecuted in the beginning of this year, for buying influence. His fortune is now estimated at some EUR 420 million.
9. Ovidiu Tender is ninth in this year’s ranking, with a EUR 400 million estimated net worth. He has been investing in Africa, Asia and Cuba, in recent years. He owns Prospectiuni Bucuresti, the largest prospecting company in Romania.
10. The top ten is completed by Zoltan Teszari, the founder and most important shareholder of RCS&RDS, the largest Romanian-owned telecommunication business on the market. [8]
The Roma, unwanted everywhere
Roma is a term for various groups who have migrated across Europe for centuries and are now the biggest ethnic minority in the European Union, most of them from countries like Romania, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic.
There are an estimated 10 million across Europe and one in five lives in Romania.
Since their arrival in Europe from India some 700 years ago, they have been politically, socially, culturally and economically marginalised by the dominant population, who have consistently shown negative social attitudes towards them.
The vast majority live on the margins of society in abject poverty, which makes them easy targets in troubled times.
There are an estimated 10 million across Europe and one in five lives in Romania.
Since their arrival in Europe from India some 700 years ago, they have been politically, socially, culturally and economically marginalised by the dominant population, who have consistently shown negative social attitudes towards them.
The vast majority live on the margins of society in abject poverty, which makes them easy targets in troubled times.
Estimates of the Roma population in Romania vary enormously, but the most realistic estimate suggests that there were 1.5 million Roma in 1998. Estimates are often hampered by the (well-founded) fears of the Roma themselves about stigma, coupled with the lack of training of the census operators when addressing ethnic issues. According to 'Roma Children', more than 50 per cent of Roma live in extreme poverty, with the disparities in housing spilling over into disparities in education, with only 20 per cent of Roma children enrolled in kindergarten in 2000-2001, compared with a national average of 61 per cent.
According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Roma children are a special risk group in terms of health, with data suggesting that Roma child mortality rates are three to four times higher than those for the majority population or other ethnic groups.
Roma houses are twice as crowded as those of other ethnic groups, and around 15 per cent of Roma households lack electricity. The disparities in housing spill over into disparities in education, with only 20 per cent of Roma children enrolled in kindergarten in 2000-2001, compared with a national average of 61 per cent. [4]
In January, European Union restrictions on Romania and Bulgaria were lifted, meaning citizens of those countries were free to travel and work throughout the EU. This inspired anger in wealthier countries like the UK, where people anticipated a flood of migrants looking to take advantage of relatively generous welfare systems. This anger was directed most fiercely at the Roma.
Europe's largest ethnic minority — also known as gypsies — has long endured bigotry and abuse. This year, they've been a boon to rightwing politicians who've used them to garner support for anti-immigration policies and achieve significant electoral victories. [5]
Europe's largest ethnic minority — also known as gypsies — has long endured bigotry and abuse. This year, they've been a boon to rightwing politicians who've used them to garner support for anti-immigration policies and achieve significant electoral victories. [5]
The wealthy Roma
via The Guardian - Six-year-old twins Gelu and Edi Petrache pose on the ornate stairs of their home in Buzescu, Romania, dressed up for Easter Sunday. They are the precocious offspring not of a Russian oligarch, but once-itinerant Roma who have struck it rich since the fall of communism by stripping defunct factories of their metals and selling them on. They are mostly coppersmiths, or kalderash, known for making cazanes – alcohol stills for brewing fruit brandies. As industrial infrastructure was left to rot, the Roma were quick to spot the potential in scrap metal in what at the time was an unregulated market.
Like working-class lottery winners, they have swapped their horse-drawn caravans for fast cars and gaudy, gated mansions adorned with turrets, pillars and marble floors – what they perceive to be the trappings of mega-wealth. Parents shower their children with jewellery, flashy clothes and mini motorbikes, challenging the perception of the Roma as poor, rootless people. But behind the bling, homes are often sparsely furnished and many rooms are hardly used: some older Roma are uneasy in their villas, preferring to use outhouses and outdoor kitchens instead.
Not all Buzescu's Roma are super rich. Since Romania joined the European Union in 2007, regulations governing homemade liquor have reduced demand for their copper stills, which once sold for hundreds of dollars. Today, only a handful of Roma make them. As a result, men and, increasingly, women are forced to look for work away from home. In a town as small as this (it has just 5,000 inhabitants), they are missed, and many Roma households contain only the old and the young – grandparents and grandchildren. Schooling is hit-and-miss: parents want sons to earn money as soon as possible, while daughters are expected to stay at home to help raise younger siblings; many are married off as teenagers.
Those whose parents struck gold – or copper – may have riches unimaginable a generation ago, but they are hollow fortunes. [9]
Like working-class lottery winners, they have swapped their horse-drawn caravans for fast cars and gaudy, gated mansions adorned with turrets, pillars and marble floors – what they perceive to be the trappings of mega-wealth. Parents shower their children with jewellery, flashy clothes and mini motorbikes, challenging the perception of the Roma as poor, rootless people. But behind the bling, homes are often sparsely furnished and many rooms are hardly used: some older Roma are uneasy in their villas, preferring to use outhouses and outdoor kitchens instead.
Not all Buzescu's Roma are super rich. Since Romania joined the European Union in 2007, regulations governing homemade liquor have reduced demand for their copper stills, which once sold for hundreds of dollars. Today, only a handful of Roma make them. As a result, men and, increasingly, women are forced to look for work away from home. In a town as small as this (it has just 5,000 inhabitants), they are missed, and many Roma households contain only the old and the young – grandparents and grandchildren. Schooling is hit-and-miss: parents want sons to earn money as soon as possible, while daughters are expected to stay at home to help raise younger siblings; many are married off as teenagers.
Those whose parents struck gold – or copper – may have riches unimaginable a generation ago, but they are hollow fortunes. [9]
Via Al Jazeera - In the town of Buzescu, in southern Romania, 35 percent of the inhabitants are Roma. However, unlike the popular perception of the impoverished Roma, this community is quite affluent. Their large houses feature ornate and extravagant designs that can take years to build.
Only one road runs through the 5,000-person town, but both sides of the road are cluttered with mansions. The residents own the latest luxurious sports cars made by top brands - such as Porsche and Mercedes. Many of these Roma run large businesses, but they do not specify which ones. And when the mafia comes up in discussion, Costica Stancu, an affluent Roma, said "Mafia? What Mafia? The money comes from work - no begging or other trades."
In Buzescu, omerta - an old code of honour that emphasises silence - reigns.
According to Steliana, another wealthy Roma, most of these Roma live in one room of their mansions because they cannot afford to heat the whole place. "We have to show that we have money, that's it," Steliana told Al Jazeera.
Around 1860, the first Roma families, freed from serfdom, settled in this part of Romania to work the earth and mine various metals, such as copper. Today, the landscape has not changed much except for the opulent mansions of wealthy Roma, contrasting them with the storey maisonettes of Romanian peasants in the countryside. [10]
Only one road runs through the 5,000-person town, but both sides of the road are cluttered with mansions. The residents own the latest luxurious sports cars made by top brands - such as Porsche and Mercedes. Many of these Roma run large businesses, but they do not specify which ones. And when the mafia comes up in discussion, Costica Stancu, an affluent Roma, said "Mafia? What Mafia? The money comes from work - no begging or other trades."
In Buzescu, omerta - an old code of honour that emphasises silence - reigns.
According to Steliana, another wealthy Roma, most of these Roma live in one room of their mansions because they cannot afford to heat the whole place. "We have to show that we have money, that's it," Steliana told Al Jazeera.
Around 1860, the first Roma families, freed from serfdom, settled in this part of Romania to work the earth and mine various metals, such as copper. Today, the landscape has not changed much except for the opulent mansions of wealthy Roma, contrasting them with the storey maisonettes of Romanian peasants in the countryside. [10]
Pictures by Sebastien Leban/Al Jazeera
The sewage people of Bucharest
An estimated 6,000 homeless people live in the network of sewers and tunnels beneath the streets of Bucharest. Many were born underground and are now having children themselves. It's a world of its own, a world full of drugs, disease and poverty that's developed beneath the capital.
List of References
4) http://www.romachildren.com/?page_id=13#_ftnref2
5) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALdlphTYdi4
6) http://www.neurope.eu/news/wire/romanias-population-falls-20-million-census-shows-15-million-less-decade-ago
7) http://www.ruralpovertyportal.org/country/home/tags/romania
8) http://www.romania-insider.com/romanias-richest/134287/
9) http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2013/feb/15/ivan-kashinsky-photography-roma-buzescu
10) http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/inpictures/2014/03/pictures-romania-rich-roma-2014311141553190668.html
11) http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2285796/Romanian-gypsies-living-condemned-ghetto-mayor-built-wall-around.html
4) http://www.romachildren.com/?page_id=13#_ftnref2
5) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALdlphTYdi4
6) http://www.neurope.eu/news/wire/romanias-population-falls-20-million-census-shows-15-million-less-decade-ago
7) http://www.ruralpovertyportal.org/country/home/tags/romania
8) http://www.romania-insider.com/romanias-richest/134287/
9) http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2013/feb/15/ivan-kashinsky-photography-roma-buzescu
10) http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/inpictures/2014/03/pictures-romania-rich-roma-2014311141553190668.html
11) http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2285796/Romanian-gypsies-living-condemned-ghetto-mayor-built-wall-around.html