Romanian President Nicușor Dan urges Romanians in the diaspora to 'test’ Romania

By 2080, Romania could have 3.4 million fewer inhabitants than it does today, with a quarter of the population aged over 65. Low birth rates, a deteriorating ratio of children to the elderly and high levels of migration are among the primary causes of this demographic decline.

Actually, demographic trends over recent decades have been strongly linked to Romanians leaving the country. According to migration experts, approximately 4.5 to 5 million Romanian citizens currently live abroad, a group that practically represents one of the country’s key assets. Consequently, in recent years, authorities have been taking steps to persuade as many of them as possible to return home.

Speaking in Bucharest at the ninth edition of the RePatriot ‘Top 100 Romanians Everywhere’ Gala, Romania’s President Nicușor Dan, urged fellow citizens in the Diaspora to ‘give Romania a try’, noting that despite its lingering shortcomings and dysfunctions, the country has made progress over the last two decades. “I have traveled within the Diaspora and heard sentiments like: ‘I would come home for retirement, but I’m afraid of the healthcare system,’ or ‘I would return, but I don’t know what kind of schooling my children would get.’

The choice remains up to each individual, we live in a free world, but my urging to those in the Diaspora is to put Romania to the test,” Nicușor Dan emphasized. “My urging to those in the Diaspora is to try out Romania’s healthcare system, because, despite all the shortcomings and dysfunctions, Romania has made progress over the last 20 years. Medical equipment in Romania is no longer what it was two decades ago. We have doctors trained at major clinics abroad; some stayed, while others returned. We have good schools, and we also have very poor ones, at both the pre-university and university levels.”

Furthermore, in the Romanian President’s view, the relationship between the public and private sectors is another area where shortcomings exist, a relationship that needs improvement because, as the country’s leader noted, the private sector is the engine of the economy, while entrepreneurship is the engine of that engine. Ideally, the successful entrepreneurs from the Diaspora could become part of the Romanian ecosystem, given the performance and experience they have gained in competitive environments, assets that could prove valuable to a developing country like Romania.

“I hope that by learning from one another and working together, we can do better for this country and for us all,” concluded Nicușor Dan at the RePatriot ‘Top 100 Romanians Everywhere’ Gala.

For nine editions now, this event has brought together hundreds of Romanian entrepreneurs, managers, and professionals from the Diaspora, selected based on their achievements, contributions, and impact in the countries where they live and work.

Author: Roxana Vasile

This content is republished under a bilateral cooperation agreement between the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) and the Romanian Radio Broadcasting Corporation (Radio România). The original article can be found on the Radio România International website at the following link: https://www.rri.ro/en/news-and-current-affairs/today-in-the-news/call-to-the-diaspora-id1066401.html