Die rumänische Regierung hat bürokratische Hindernisse aufgebaut, um die illegale Einwanderung aus Rumänien in EU-Länder zu erschweren. Hierüber schreibt Razvan Amariei in Transitions Online.
New rules meant to cut down on illegal migration are also complicating the lives of Romanian tourists and businesspeople.
The rules were so strict that Bucharest was almost immediately forced to lighten them after complaints from ordinary citizens and the Hungarian government, but only on travel outside the wealthy core of the European Union.
Under the previous system in operation since 2002, Romanians did not need a visa to visit the Schengen countries for up to 90 days provided they had sufficient funds to support themselves during the trip. They also, at least in theory, had to show a return ticket, proof of insurance if traveling by car, travel insurance, and an official invitation or tourist voucher, or a specified sum of money.
The measures were demanded by the countries of the Schengen space – the 13 „old“ EU member states of continental Europe, joined by Norway and Iceland, where most interior border checks have been abolished – to cut down on illegal migration and crime.
Show me the money
For those visiting the EU or other Western countries, the minimum amount required was 500 euros, plus 100 euros per day.
As newspaper columnist Adrian Papahagi, wrote, “you needed 3,000 euros to stay on your own for a month in Western Europe: a year’s average income for a Romanian and a monthly salary few Westerners are making.”
Even so, most Romanians would bring the money instead of vouchers or an invitation even if they had those documents. “It was easier this way. Booking a hotel through a local agency was many times more expensive than finding a room on the spot. And a strict schedule could ruin your holiday,” explains Dan Petre, a 28-year-old journalist who said he always takes his vacations abroad.
“Every summer I go to my sister’s in Italy. But why ask her to officially invite me and make her spend a lot of money on paperwork when I could just show some cash on the border?” says Aurora Tarcea, 47, from Craiova.
To read the article in full, visit the Transitions Online website.