The Romanian-Italian brotherhood

Italys Ambassador to Romania said Romanian-Italian brotherhood is a phenomenon with very deep roots.

Roxana Vasile, 25.03.2019, 12:49

Romanian-Italian brotherhood is more than just the migration flow
between Romania and Italy, Marco Giungi, Italy’s Ambassador to Bucharest said
Sunday. Relations between the two countries go much deeper, beyond Romania’s
10-year EU membership, during which time a large number of Romanians have
chosen to live in Italy. Romanians and Italians are much alike, sharing not
just a language, but also a mindset and a general approach to life. When
celebrating Romanian-Italian brotherhood we actually celebrate their shared Latin
heritage, Marco Giungi went on to say.

The Italian official attended an event hosted by the Italian
Business Club in Cluj-Napoca, whose topic was the Italian-Romanian brotherhood
a decade after Romania’s EU accession. This was also the subject of a book
launched at this event. The list of speakers included the EU Commissioner for
Regional Policy, Corina Cretu, who said the presence of over one million
Romanians living in Italy reflects the most successful migratory phenomenon in
the history of Italy. Romanians have integrated quickly, they are hard-working,
efficient, respected and are now part of the political and social life of the
communities in which they live. They work together and are in agreement with
other Romanians living in other West European countries, Corina Cretu added.

In mid-February, the Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Interior
Minister Matteo Salvini surprised everyone by saying that Romanians are the
biggest minority group in Italy and the best integrated in economic, cultural
and trade terms. Salvini had previously been very critical of foreigners in
Italy, including Romanians on several occasions, but since Romania has taken
over the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU, the Italian official has
changed tack. Therefore the Italian official said it is his duty to protect the
large majority of Romanians who are hard-working, honest people and to punish,
at the same time, the few criminals who stain the former’s image.

It’s also worth mentioning that Romanian-Italian relations are the
subject of a Consolidated Strategic Partnership, which the two countries’
Foreign Ministers signed on January 9, 2008. Over the years political exchanges
have been frequent and varied, the same as cultural and scientific cooperation.
In economic terms, Italy is one of Romania’s top partners, both in terms of
two-way trade and investment.