A RePatriot Summit in Bucharest
The millions of Romanians who have left the country in the past 35 years must benefit from incentives to come back home is the conclusion of the latest summit dedicated to the Diaspora in Bucharest on Thursday
Daniela Budu, 04.10.2024, 13:50
During a summit dedicated to the Diaspora in Bucharest on Thursday, the authorities’ representatives underlined the importance of the Romanians living abroad urging them to come back to Romania.
“Romania’s development depends on investment and initiative and our country needs people with a Western attitude towards work”, the country’s Prime Minister, Marcel Ciolacu, said during the RePatriot Summit.
The head of the Romanian Executive said that over 3 million Romanians emigrated between 2008 and 2022 adding that last year was the first time when 190 thousand Romanians returned. The Romanian official also voiced his hope that many others would be returning this year.
In his opinion, they have a big chance as Romania is presently one of the safest countries Europe. In this context, the Prime Minister also recalled the projects aimed at Romania’s multilateral development, such as those in its road infrastructure, healthcare and education as well as the fiscal reform. According to him, the time for implementing these investments is a short one of up to 2 years, as envisaged by the National Plan of Recovery and Resilience.
Also attending the aforementioned summit, the Senate president, Nicolae Ciucă, expressed his wish that the Romanians presently living abroad would come back home, adding that the state’s involvement in easing their return ‘is absolutely necessary and important’
The state – he said – must ensure credibility and guarantee predictability. Ciuca pointed out that the Romanians living outside Romania must choose whether they want to come back. During the aforementioned event in Bucharest over 100 Romanians presently living abroad were symbolically awarded prizes, for having compelled recognition in various fields of activity such as entrepreneurships, management, healthcare, art, science or sport.
Among the award-winners, Alexandra Chiribeş, a professional in European law said that the Romanians living in Germany are starting to come back home.
Alexandra Chiribeş: “At least from Germany, from Nord Rhein-Westfalen state, only I saw 464 files of the families who are coming back to Romania.”
In turn, Ştefan Grigore de Fay, Romania’s honorary consul in Nice, shared his life-guiding principles.
Ştefan Grigore de Fay: “I grew up with two slogans, ‘don’t forget your language and culture’ as you have a duty towards the country that gave them to you. That’s the first one I got from my parents, and the second was said by a great writer of the English-speaking world: ‘They didn’t know it was impossible so they did it’“
Also worth mentioning in this context is that a draft law for the Romanians willing to return is currently being debated upon in the Bucharest Senate. Under it, the Romanians, who want to come back and contribute to the development of the business environment here, may benefit from state-funded facilities.
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