Prime Minister Luca Niculescu stated on Friday that Romanians in the diaspora represent a "true source of competence, experience, initiative, and international connections," noting that the relationship with them must move beyond "the phase of bursts of solidarity and solemn moments."
The Prime Minister, alongside President Nicusor Dan, attended the opening of the 6th edition of the Forum of Young Romanians Everywhere at Cotroceni Palacean event organized by the Federation of Youth Forums of Romania, the League of Romanian Students Abroad, and the National Union of Students in Romania, agerpres reports.
"I am pleased thatas the President mentionedeven though we often tend to be self-critical, there are, in fact, so many good things in this country. Moreover, this country is also present abroadoften soand through your actions, you serve as a reflection of it. I am therefore delighted that we are here today; the fact that you have gathered, that you will engage in debate, and that you will formulate concrete proposals speaks volumes about your generation: you are not content to merely watch from a distance what is happening in Romaniayou want to understand, to participate, and to change things for the better. This is something that the Government of Romania encourages," stated Niculescu at the opening of the Forum.
According to him, one of the most important questions being asked is in what kind of country young people can build their future.
"It is a country where education opens up real opportunities, where hard work and competence are recognized, where good ideas can turn into projectsprojects that can evolve into businesses, research, innovations, or even jobsa country where the chance to succeed does not depend on where you were born or the means of the family in which you grew up. I know there is still much to be done before we reach that point; even though a great deal has already been accomplishedthe progress made is extraordinary, especially when you look at where we stood 25 to 30 years ago," the Prime Minister added.
Luca Niculescu pointed out that the country must also provide a safe school environment.
"We are currently witnessing an escalation of a highly concerning phenomenonaggression and violence in schools. Just this morning, I met at the Government with several ministers, and we established a series of urgent measures to protect students and teachers, as well as to strengthen security and the authorities' response mechanisms; it is, therefore, an immediate plan that we will put into action," the Prime Minister stated.
He mentioned that "investing in people is essential," and a significant part of his vision for the government concerns Romanians in the diaspora.
"We know that for many of you, Romania is the place to which you are bound by family, language, and memoriesbut it is also a country from which you have certain expectations. You likely ask yourselves: 'Okay, if I return, what awaits me in that countrywhat awaits me in Romania? What can I build here?' I do not believe we can still ask your generation to make such a stark choiceto either pursue opportunities elsewhere in the world or remain connected to your home country. Perhaps that was relevant for our generation, back when we had more clearly defined borders in our minds. Today, you are all citizens of the worldunlike me, who, until the age of 19, had never even set foot outside the country. Yet for usfor those of us hereyou represent a true wellspring of competence, experience, initiative, and international connections. Our relationship with you must evolve beyond this stage of mere expressions of solidarity and solemn moments," Niculescu emphasized.
He presented several concrete measures from the governing program aimed at those wishing to return to Romania, citing, in this regard, access to clear information about job opportunities, the recognition of academic degrees, and services required by families. "These are matters that can make the difference between mere intention and a sound decision; furthermore, for young people who remain abroad, there must be concrete ways to collaborate with institutions in this country," the Prime Minister added.
The Prime Minister indicated that the ideas formulated within this Forum must be sufficiently concrete to be actionablethat is, capable of being transformed into public policies.
"We will engage in dialogueand authentic dialogue does not mean that we will always agree. We will likely often find that you have different ideas or different approaches, but that is perfectly fineit is entirely natural. I can assure youhaving worked with Romanian institutions for several years now, and even more so from my current position leading the Government of Romaniathat there is a great deal of openness, goodwill, and competence within these institutions. Sometimes, you just have to dig a little deeper," concluded Luca Niculescu.
As part of the Forum for Young Romanians Everywhere, over 150 young people from Romania and the diaspora will take part, over the course of six days, in activities aimed at identifying concrete solutions to the issues that affect them; they will go on to develop specific proposals for legislative changes covering topics ranging from education and the labor market to the justice system and the relationship with the diaspora.
