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There are several things that Romania has in common with my home country Britain: the worship of the car and under-investment in railways; slow progress when it comes to tackling climate change and, most noticeably, a feeling of being on the “edge” of Europe. Britons feel closer to America than continental Europe and refer to “the Continent” as somewhere quite distant and remote from their daily concerns. Both populations share a lack of interest in the European Parliament elections. read more…

Last night someone stole my husband’s bike. It was chained outside the apartment, in the hallway of our lovely communist block. The incident “inspired” me to write this hate letter to the city.

I’ve been living in Bucharest for almost nine years now, but only started to hate this city a couple of years ago. My hate wasn’t born overnight; it wasn’t like I was in love with Bucharest on Tuesday evening only to wake up on Wednesday hating it. It was a gradual process, fed by things that happened around me, or to other people during everyday life. I’ll try to express this in a list, in no particular order. read more…

Five days after Romania joined the EU I visited Bran Castle. I was sadly disappointed by the incredible kitsch on display in the carpark, the ruination of the village by uncontrolled banner advertising and an interior that has been ruined by bad restoration. What was an intriguing fifteenth century castle has been reduced to a centrepiece of the kitsch capital of Romania. The Habsburg’s asking price of 60 million Euro is laughable; they would be lucky if they could get 10% of that over inflated value. read more…

A lot of money is being invested into the development of a brand for Romania but this can only lead to embarrassment and financial loss. Branding a country requires a level of coordination and trust that is unattainable in Romania. According to Charles Brymer, chairman of Interbrand, “Creating a brand program for a country demands an integration policy that most countries do not possess – the ability to act and speak in a coordinated and repetitive way.” read more…

Romania will have an election for the European Parliament (EP) later this autumn but not only are there few candidates prepared to stand, a lot of the population seems to be unaware of the election.

As part of their EU accession obligations, both Bulgaria and Romania must hold EP elections this year. Bulgaria did so in March and the Romanian election will take place on 26 November. read more…

Ever since my history teacher explained about global warming I knew we were in trouble. But it was too depressing to worry about. What could I do about global warming, pollution and the preservation of the countryside? Like most people, I assumed there was nothing I could do; I put the issue to the back of my mind, went traveling and got on with my life. read more…

Who knew Romania had almost a million working horses? Even though communism was all about mechanization, these horses are its legacy. After the 1989 Revolution the peasants were given back their little plots of land, but soon realized they couldn’t work that land without tractors. So they decided to do it the old way and turned to the reliable horse. Trouble is that during all those years of mechanization, they had forgotten how to look after their horses. read more…

The climate is changing in Romania. The land is being dried up by increasingly hot summers, torrential downpours are becoming the norm and the side-effects of rapid economic growth are damaging the environment.

Parts of eastern Romania have become so arid that farming is impossible and in other areas, over-grazing threatens to destroy all plant life and usher in an era of desertification. read more…

A massive investment in education is the only way that the huge Roma minority in Romania can emerge from grinding poverty and marginalisation. If better educated, the Roma people could fill the gap created by the country’s falling population and provide future generations of entrepreneurs, scientists and skilled workers. read more…