Advisor to Romanian PM: "Romani people must change their mentality"

Romani people must change their mentality and financial gifts don’t help them. Those claims were recently made by the head of the Romanian Government Office for Romani Affairs in an exclusive interview for Czech Radio.

France has been returning hundreds of Romani people back to Romania recently, but Bucharest says this is a Europe-wide problem. French authorities have been providing EUR 300 in pocket money to Romani people voluntarily returning to their native country.

"If you give someone a chance, then you’ll see it work, but you must have great patience and expend a lot of effort. That has been confirmed by the case of an organization that has started working in the worst ghetto in Bucharest. At the same time, it must also be said that there is a problem as far as Romani people’s mentality is concerned. We must change the way they think," said Romanian official Damian Draghici.

Mr Draghici knows what he is talking about. He is Romani himself and grew up in a settlement from which people often traveled abroad in search of a better life. However, Mr Draghici says every country, whether a "sending" or "receiving" one, bears its own share of responsibility for this situation. The authorities and governments of both states must cooperate.

"You can perform miracles in the course of a year – of course, if you yourself want to. If not, then even if I gave you a palace you could just sell the whole thing off within a year and a day, right down to the window frames. The policy of the French – giving Romani people EUR 300 to leave – is pointless. It’s clear they will come back to France to get that money again," he says. "However, if someone tells you clearly that you have 12 months to integrate into society, and if you get an apartment and the opportunity to look for work, then it’s just up to you. Otherwise you go home with nothing. That works."

The EU as a whole is supposed to be jointly addressing the issue of Romani people. Similar plans for 2013-2020 have also been drawn up the Romanian Government, which intends to focus on five basic pillars: Culture, health care, housing, work, and primarily, education.

"In Romania we have an old saying:  Anyone can do something to consecrate a place no matter where he lives, but only if he wants to. It is solely up to you whether you will become a responsible person or a victim. Naturally, Romani people have many problems, but no one gets anything for free – except God. You must earn everything through work," says Mr Draghici.