DOCSLIB.ORG

The June 1990 Mineriad in Bucharest

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The June 1990 Mineriad in Bucharest COUNTRY REPORT Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung e.V. REPORTLÄNDERBERICHT RUMÄNIEN DR. HOLGER DIX ALEXANDRA PANĂ 21. Juni 2010 Forgive and Forget? The June www.kas.de/bukarest 1990 Mineriad in Bucharest www.kas.de 20 years have passed since the violent the opposition political parties and of news- events of 13th-15th of June 1990 in Uni- papers criticising the government were van- versity Square. The official data speak dalised. On the 13th of February, the Na- about six people dead and around 1,000 tional Salvation Front Council was replaced injured, but the numbers are controversial by a Provisional National Unity Council, and there seemed to have been about 100 meant to run the country until the elections, people killed then. What triggered this programmed for May. This new governing outpouring of violence, just a few months body was formed half by representatives of after Romanians have set themselves free FSN and half by members of the other po- of communism? litical parties. The month of February would still be the scene of turbulent events, culmi- The June Mineriad is intrinsically linked to nating with anti-government protesters en- the “Piata Universitatii” phenomenon. In tering the Victoria Palace, the Government early 1990, FSN (the National Salvation headquarters. The miners were once again Front), established with the purpose of act- brought to Bucharest, but by the time they ing as a temporary government until free arrived, the demonstrators had already elections were to be held, announced that it been spread by the police and military and would also be running in the elections as a their intervention was no longer needed. political party. The shift led to the with- drawal of many of the anti-communist intel- April saw the continuation of turmoil. People lectuals that originally supported the body, took the streets and what began as a such as Doina Cornea, Ana Blandiana, or peaceful demonstration escalated into a Ion Caramitru, to name but a few. But this true phenomenon. For 52 days, the Univer- was only the beginning of a wave of mis- sity Square was home to people shouting trust and disapproval against FSN and its “Better dead, than communist” and stating decision to act at the same time as both that their aim is to completely eradicate referee and player of the game. Criticism communism from Romania. Some of the came also from the fact that many of those demonstrators took extreme measures of involved in the governing body had been protest, resorting to hunger strikes. The members of the Communist party, which claimants of a communism-free zone were made their impartiality questionable. not organised in any institutional manner. The protest did begin as a manifestation by The need for a new organism involving the one of the historical parties, PNT-CD, but in legally constituted political parties and re- the end, the protesters were from all walks placing FSN became evident. A first series of life and not politically affiliated. of manifestations against the body began in January 1990. Counterdemonstrations to The attempts to negotiate a solution be- show support for FSN followed, bringing to- tween the authorities and protesters failed. gether workers from Bucharest and miners By June, “patience” towards the protests in from the Jiu Valley, among others. The Univeristy Square was running extremely events escalated and the headquarters of thin. On the 12th of June, at the Victoria 2 Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung e.V. Palace, seat of the Government, a decision to help the proper rebuilding of a democ- was taken in this respect, with the Police, ratic political system. RUMÄNIEN the Army and The Romanian Intelligence DR. HOLGER DIX Service being called upon to terminate the The June 1990 Mineriad was a clash of so- ALEXANDRA PANĂ manifestations. cial classes. The slogans of the miners viv- idly captured the spirit of the events - 21. Juni 2010 A day later, on the 13th of June, the police “Death to intellectuals” or “We work, we intervened by raids in the Square, conduct- don't think!” . The rupture was unsurpass- www.kas.de/bukarest ing arrests and trying to disperse the crowd. able and violence killed any hopes of dia- www.kas.de The hostilities increased on the 14th with the logue. In all honesty, it was not the miners’ coming of the mineworkers to Bucharest. role in the first place to seek out a dialogue They were met at the Victoria Palace by the with the protesters; that was for the gov- recently elected President, Ion Iliescu, who ernment to do. In fact, there is no legiti- asked them to “occupy and clean the Uni- macy to be found in the mineworkers’ inter- versity Square”. Ever since the events, Ili- vention in the events. An explanation was escu has denied being the one who called offered, however - they were there to re- the mineworkers to Bucharest, but in a re- store order and calm. The appeal to calm cent interview in June 2010 he admitted was a leitmotiv of those days. that their coming to the capital was organ- ised by FSN. Restoring order means going back to a state of things that people are accustomed to, The manifestations in the Square were vio- and therefore feel more comfortable with, lently put to an end. Protesters and pedes- be that good or bad. Psychologically speak- trians alike suffered severe battering, some ing, it seems it is easier to understand and were killed and many have been abusively accept the status quo, rather than change, detained on arbitrary basis, only to be re- regardless of the axiological value that leased days or months later, with no expla- change might bring along. Most people have nation offered as to what had happened. a natural tendency of rejecting information The President publicly thanked the miners that contravenes to their already estab- for their intervention. The violence of the lished system of thinking. Was that the case events then led to an increasing wave of for the newly-born Romanian democracy? mistrust in the country’s hopes of fostering Was it too much to take in, with all that it democracy and it drove many on the path brought with, the freedoms, the idea of plu- of emigration. It is believed that up to a few rality, the unavoidable presence of an oppo- hundred thousand Romanians left the coun- sition? try then. The miners were the perfect pawns in 1990. The months following the December ’89 It may very well be they were truly con- Revolution were troubled times. The newly vinced of the earnestness of their mission, found liberty seemed to have taken people being called upon to save Romania’s new almost by surprise. Romania had to face democracy from the threat of the hooligan- almost forgotten traits of democracy – intellectuals, as the press of the time nar- among them, the existence of a multi-party rated the events. The media had a very uni- system, which implied the existence of op- lateral approach of the topic, depicting the position. Instead of being a partner of dia- episodes as a justified measure and main- logue and a much needed instrument to- taining the official position of FSN that the wards building a healthy democracy, any protesters were hooligans trying to under- opposition became a threat, a “who is not mine the democratic efforts. The extent to with us is against us”. This brought about a which the violence of the miners went is surprising return to the proletarian dis- unpardonable and they are undoubtedly the course of the 1950s-1960s. The demoniza- authors of the aggressions, but are they the tion of capitalism, of the historical political only villains of the story? Do they carry the parties and of the intellectual elites did little whole responsibility for the tragic course of the events? 3 Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung e.V. After their incursions to Bucharest in 1990, to terms yet with June 1990 are the victims the miners acquired a taste for taking mat- and their families. They have not forgotten, RUMÄNIEN ters into their own hands, and became and most certainly have not forgiven. DR. HOLGER DIX players, instead of instruments of the game. ALEXANDRA PANĂ Confident in their power as a mass, they continued to come or to threaten to come to 21. Juni 2010 Bucharest for their claims. Only that on these new occasions their actions were di- www.kas.de/bukarest rected against, and not in the support of the www.kas.de government. Nowadays, the miners are se- verely affected by unemployment and pov- erty and many of them still suffer the stigma of the Mineriads. Most of the mines in the Jiu Valley have been closed down and the region is now among the poorest in the country. Years later, there are many questions left unanswered in what concerns the min- eriads. The leader of the miners at the time of the events, Miron Cozma, has served 10 years in prison. Ion Iliescu, the then presi- dent of FSN, has faced accusations in the case of the 1990 events, but the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Ter- rorism decided not to start legal proceed- ings against him. “Vingt ans après”, Romania still does not know what really happened in those terrible June days. The only people still trying to find the truth and see justice done are ei- ther the victims of the violence or their families. Romania has forgotten what it went through 20 years ago. It might seem cynical, but to many of the children born in democracy, the Mineriads are either some- thing they have never heard about, or “the fight of the miners for a better life”.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Scrisuri 3 2000-2009 3
    PAUL GOMA - SCRISURI 3 2000-2009 3 P a u l G o m a S C R Ì S U R I 3 2000 - 2009 interviuri, dialoguri, articole CURTEA VECHE 2009 PAUL GOMA - SCRISURI 3 2000-2009 5 2 0 0 0 * Paris, 1 februarie 2000 O AGEND™… LITERAR™ Am primit un colet din România. Cum n-am fost atent la expeditor, când l-am deschis, am fost surprins: “Funda∞ia Cultural¶ România”, Ea ïns¶§i îmi trimisese… o agend¶ din mu§ama veritabil¶, ro§catìe, cu litere §i col∞are de aur… Mi-am zis c¶ o fi o agend¶ obi§nuit¶ - mai ales c¶ pe copert¶ scrie: 2000. M-am în§elat : agenda nu este una obi§nuit¶, ci… special¶ : “5+366 scriitori români” - cincii prezen∞i doar prin fotografii : Eminescu, Creang¶, Slavici, Caragiale, Maiorescu, iar restul… Mi-am zis apoi c¶, fiind o agend¶ - cum ar veni : un calendar, voi fi de g¶sit (dac¶ nu m-ar fi inclus, nu mi-ar fi trimis agenda, nu ?), la 2 octombrie, ziua de na§tere a mea… Nu m-am g¶sit acolo. Atunci am constatat : «Nu m-au inclus…» M¶ în§elasem înc¶ o dat¶ - a câta oar¶ ? Am b¶gat de seam¶ o ordine alfabetic¶. De ast¶ dat¶ nu m-am mai în§elat (era §i timpul) ; figuram la G, între Golopen∞ia §i Grigorescu. Am priceput : fiec¶ruia din cei 366 de scriitori cuprin§i i se rezervase o pagin¶, echivalînd cu o zi (la ceva tot a fost bun¶, agenda: am aflat din ea c¶ anul acesta are un februarie de 29 zile).
    [Show full text]
  • Paul Goma – Basarabia
    BASARABIA 1 Paul Goma BASARABIA August 2001 2 PAUL GOMA Paris, 11 iunie 2001 Când Victor a rostit un nume §i m-a întrebat dac¶ îmi spune ceva, am r¶spuns c¶ nu. Mai aproape de adev¶r : Victor a pronun∞at un nume, apoi m-a întrebat dac¶ acela mi-e cunoscut. Am spus, pe dat¶ : Nu. Aveam o bun¶ memorie, în general, în special, a numelor, una excelent¶. Chiar dac¶ am mai gre§it… Mi-o aduc aminte pe cea din urm¶ gaf¶ ?, gre§eal¶ ? A avut ca decor saloanele Senatului Fran∞ei, în februarie 1900. Atunci veniser¶ la Paris un mare num¶r de avioane înc¶rcate- ochi cu viteji revolu∞ionari post-festumnici, de te întrebai cum de supravie∞uise Ceau§escu 24 ani, ba, cu o s¶pt¶mân¶ înainte de a fi împu§cat de Sturdza-Voican, masele largi de români opozan∞i feroci ai tiranului îl aclamaser¶ îndelung, urîndu-i s¶ tr¶iasc¶ ! Dar, Doamne, cât de umfla∞i în pene erau scriitorii români cotidieni, eroi f¶r¶ voie §i f¶r¶ §tire !; cum nu-§i mai înc¶peau în piele - nici în nume : Manolescu, M¶rculescu, Sorescu, Buzura, H¶ulic¶, Pippidi, Martin… Aproape cu to∞ii, dînd mâna cu mine, î§i spuneau r¶spicat numele §i prenumele (erau gata s¶-mi comunice §i bibliografia), de parc¶ atunci ne-am fi v¶zut pentru prima oar¶… Dar bineîn∞eles c¶ îi cuno§team, c¶ îi recuno§team - îi §tiam, îi prea §tiam, chiar §i pe cei mai tineri, afirma∞i dup¶ plecarea noastr¶ în exil.
    [Show full text]
  • Romania Redivivus
    alexander clapp ROMANIA REDIVIVUS nce the badlands of neoliberal Europe, Romania has become its bustling frontier. A post-communist mafia state that was cast to the bottom of the European heap by opinion- makers sixteen years ago is now billed as the success story Oof eu expansion.1 Its growth rate at nearly 6 per cent is the highest on the continent, albeit boosted by fiscal largesse.2 In Bucharest more politicians have been put in jail for corruption over the past decade than have been convicted in the rest of Eastern Europe put together. Romania causes Brussels and Berlin almost none of the headaches inflicted by the Visegrád Group—Czechia, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia— which in 1993 declined to accept Romania as a peer and collectively entered the European Union three years before it. Romanians con- sistently rank among the most Europhile people in the Union.3 An anti-eu party has never appeared on a Romanian ballot, much less in the parliament. Scattered political appeals to unsavoury interwar traditions—Legionnairism, Greater Romanianism—attract fewer voters than do far-right movements across most of Western Europe. The two million Magyars of Transylvania, one of Europe’s largest minorities, have become a model for inter-ethnic relations after a time when the park benches of Cluj were gilded in the Romanian tricolore to remind every- one where they were. Indeed, perhaps the aptest symbol of Romania’s place in Europe today is the man who sits in the Presidential Palace of Cotroceni in Bucharest. Klaus Iohannis—a former physics teacher at a high school in Sibiu, once Hermannstadt—is an ethnic German head- ing a state that, a generation ago, was shipping hundreds of thousands of its ‘Saxons’ ‘back’ to Bonn at 4,000–10,000 Deutschmarks a head.
    [Show full text]
  • A Study of Institutional Change Within the Romanian National Political Economy with a Focus on Elites, International Forces and Labour
    A Study of Institutional Change within the Romanian National Political Economy with a Focus on Elites, International Forces and Labour By Ioana Jipa-Muşat Submitted to Queen Mary University of London Department of Business and Management Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Supervisors: Dr. Liam Campling Dr. Martha Prevezer Programme of Study: 2015-2019 1 Required statement of originality for inclusion in research degree thesis I, Ioana Jipa-Muşat, confirm that the research included within this thesis is my own work or that where it has been carried out in collaboration with, or supported by others, that this is duly acknowledged below and my contribution indicated. Previously published material is also acknowledged below. I attest that I have exercised reasonable care to ensure that the work is original, and does not to the best of my knowledge break any UK law, infringe any third party’s copyright or other Intellectual Property Right, or contain any confidential material. I accept that the College has the right to use plagiarism detection software to check the electronic version of the thesis. I confirm that this thesis has not been previously submitted for the award of a degree by this or any other university. The copyright of this thesis rests with the author and no quotation from it or information derived from it may be published without the prior written consent of the author. X Ioana Jipa-Muşat Date: 2 Abstract Recognised shortcomings of the comparative political economy literature are its relatively static analysis and general bypassing of context-specific explanatory variables.
    [Show full text]
  • Coal Mine Methane Country Profiles, Chapter 29, June 2015
    29 Romania 29.1 Summary of Coal Industry 29.1.1 ROLE OF COAL IN ROMANIA Coal accounts for 29 percent of energy production in Romania (EIA, 2014). Romania’s proven coal reserves are estimated at about 291 million tonnes (Mmt) and the country ranks 20th worldwide in coal production (see Table 29-1). More than 80 percent of Romanian lignite reserves can be mined profitably in opencast mines, while the remaining 20 percent require underground mining (Euracoal, 2014; WEC, 2000). Table 29-1. Romania’s Coal Reserves and Production Sub- Anthracite & bituminous Total Global Rank Indicator Bituminous & Lignite (million tonnes) (# and %) (million tonnes) (million tonnes) Estimated Proved Coal Reserves 10.0 281.0 291.0 43 (0.033%) (2011) Annual Coal Production (2012) 0.04 33.99 34.03 20 (0.43%) Source: EIA (2014) Figure 29-1 shows the distribution of lignite and hard coalfields in Romania. The coal deposits are grouped into four zones: Zone I, mainly located in the Southern Carpathian Mountains, includes all the high-grade coal such as anthracite, pit coal (higher ranking than brown coal – bituminous and sub-bituminous), and brown coal (lignite) from the Petrosani, Anina and Tebea-Brad basins. Zone II, located within the Pre-Carpathian creep, between the Olt and Valea Buzaului rivers, includes the lignite deposits of Campulung, Sotanga, Filipestii de Padure, and Ceptura. The coal basins of the Eastern Carpathian are also included within this zone: Baraolt-Virghis (lignite) and Comanesti-Bacau (brown coal). More than 90 percent of Romanian coal reserves are located within Zone II, namely in the mining basins of the Oltenia Region.
    [Show full text]
  • Article Intelligence Sector Reforms in Romania: a Scorecard
    Intelligence Sector Reforms in Romania: A Article Scorecard Lavinia Stan Marian Zulean St. Francis Xavier University, Canada University of Bucharest, Romania [email protected] Abstract Since 1989, reforms have sought to align the Romanian post-communist intelligence community with its counterparts in established democracies. Enacted reluctantly and belatedly at the pressure of civil society actors eager to curb the mass surveillance of communist times and international partners wishing to rein in Romania’s foreign espionage and cut its ties to intelligence services of non-NATO countries, these reforms have revamped legislation on state security, retrained secret agents, and allowed for participation in NATO operations, but paid less attention to oversight and respect for human rights. Drawing on democratization, transitional justice, and security studies, this article evaluates the capacity of the Romanian post-communist intelligence reforms to break with communist security practices of unchecked surveillance and repression and to adopt democratic values of oversight and respect for human rights. We discuss the presence of communist traits after 1989 (seen as continuity) and their absence (seen as discontinuity) by offering a wealth of examples. The article is the first to evaluate security reforms in post- communist Romania in terms of their capacity to not only overhaul the personnel and operations inherited from the Securitate and strengthen oversight by elected officials, but also make intelligence services respectful of basic human rights. Introduction Since transitioning away from communist dictatorship in 1989, Romania has become a liberal democracy and a member of the European Union (EU) and NATO. As elsewhere in Central and Eastern Europe where the communist secret police had conducted repression, in Romania the backbone of democratization was represented by reforms of the intelligence community, understood to comprise all of the intelligence services operating in the country.
    [Show full text]
  • The Social Impact of Mine Closure in the Jiu Valley
    E3S Web of Conferences 239, 00004 (2021) https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202123900004 ICREN 2020 The social impact of mine closure in the Jiu Valley Izabella Kovacs*, Sorin Simion, Alin Irimia, Ligia Ioana Tuhuţ , and Gheorghe Daniel Florea National Institute for Research and Development in Mine Safety and Protection to Explosion – INSEMEX Petrosani, 32-34 G-ral Vasile Milea Street, Petrosani 332047, Romania Abstract. The impact of transition periods is experienced by the local population and economy as a result of mining activities closure and dismissal of a large number of workers followed by diversification of employment and career reorientation opportunities. The aim of the paper is to highlight the impact generated by closure of mining operations on local society and economy as well as identifying opportunities for harmonious development of communities in the Jiu Valley. Following the assessment of the social impact of mining activities closure, we found a rising tendency of unemployment rate among the middle-aged population that did not benefit from vocational retraining and the growing tendency of young people to leave the region for strictly economic reasons leading to widespread social aging. 1 Restructuring of mi ning activity in Romania and the Jiu Valley Jiu Valley is a micro-region in Hunedoara County, located between the Retezat and Parâng Mountains (fig.1). It consists of 3 cities: Petrila, Uricani and Aninoasa and 3 municipalities - Petroșani, Lupeni and Vulcan. Officially, the micro-region has no rural areas, because it has been incorporated into municipalities or cities, being considered urban. * Corresponding author: [email protected] © The Authors, published by EDP Sciences.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 UNIVERSITY of ARTS in BELGRADE Interdisciplinary
    UNIVERSITY OF ARTS IN BELGRADE Interdisciplinary postgraduate studies Cultural management and cultural policy Master thesis Reinventing the City: Outlook on Bucharest's Cultural Policy By: Bianca Floarea Supervisor: Milena Dragićević-Šešić, PhD Belgrade, October 2007 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements………………………………………………………………………… ..………. 3 Abstract……………. …………………………..………………….…………………………..……... 4 Introduction.…………………………………….………………………………………………...…... 5 Methodological Approach. Research Design and Data Analysis….………………………..…….. 7 I. The Evolution of Urban Cultural Policies in Europe..……………………….…............................. 9 I.1. Cultural Policies and the City…………………………………………….…… 9 I.2. Historical Trajectory of Urban Cultural Policies……………………………… 11 II. The Cultural Policy of Bucharest. Analysis and Diagnosis of the City Government’s Approach to Culture……………………………………………………………………………………………... 26 II.1. The City: History, Demographics, Economical Indicators, Architecture and the Arts... 26 II.1.1. History……………………………………………………………………… 27 II.1.2. Demographics………………………………………………………….…… 29 II.1.3. Economical Indicators……………………………………………………… 30 II.1.4. Architecture………………………………………………………………… 30 II.1.5. The Arts Scene…………………………………..…………………………. 32 II. 2. The Local Government: History, Functioning and Structure. Overview of the Cultural Administration………………………………………………………………. 34 II.2.1. The Local Government: History, Functioning And Structure…….……..… 34 II.2.2. Overview of the Cultural Administration…………………..……………… 37 II.3 The Official Approach to Culture
    [Show full text]
  • Theatre Forum Annual Conference 12Th & 13Th June 2008
    Is it worth it? Theatre Forum Annual Conference 12th & 13th June 2008 Theatre Curator Forum note The annual Theatre Forum conference is a great Theatre Forum is the representative association for opportunity to ask questions in a situation where the performing arts in Ireland. Membership includes there are lots of people gathered to offer answers. all the theatres and arts centres around the country; So why not ask a big question? We’ve all felt it professional theatre, dance and opera production at some time. Disillusionment, doubt, frustration, companies; and the main arts festivals. those low ebbs when the question ‘is it worth it?’ lurks in one’s mind. Theatre Forum acts as a voice for the performing arts community to government, state and semi- ‘Is it worth it?’ can carry many different meanings state agencies and elected representatives. of course, from the philosophical question ‘is art worth it?’, through the political question ‘is theatre The organisation also organises training and worth State support?’, to the practitioner’s personal professional development courses and seminars. questions ‘is it worth the grief, the sacrifice, and Its website www.theatreforumireland.com is an the emotional roller-coaster ride?’, and ‘is it worth invaluable resource containing factsheets and model slogging through the failures and the hum-drum to contracts, an opening night clash diary, an industry achieve the often elusive successes?’ employment page, a barter page, members' notice board and much more. This year’s conference offers a series of different ways to approach these questions, allowing members to engage with their own experience of enthusiasm and disillusionment, passion and despair, the see-saw of positive and negative For further information: feelings involved in working in the performing arts.
    [Show full text]
  • Monitorul Oficial Partea I
    PARTEA I Anul IX Ñ Nr. 66 LEGI, DECRETE, HOTÃRÂRI ªI ALTE ACTE Miercuri, 16 aprilie 1997 SUMAR Nr. Pagina Nr. Pagina DECRETE 115. Ñ Hotãrâre privind transmiterea unui teren pro- 144. Ñ Decret privind înaintarea în gradul de general prietate publicã a judeþului Tulcea în proprietatea de divizie a unui general din Serviciul Român de publicã a statului ºi în administrarea Serviciului Informaþii..................................................................... 1 Român de Informaþii ................................................. 7 116. Ñ Hotãrâre privind susþinerea, în anul 1997, a unor HOTÃRÂRI ALE GUVERNULUI ROMÂNIEI cheltuieli necesare pregãtirii Festivalului Internaþional 102. Ñ Hotãrâre privind acordarea unui ajutor umanitar ”George EnescuÒ, ediþia a XIV-a ........................... 8 Republicii Albania .................................................... 2 117. Ñ Hotãrâre pentru anularea unei poziþii din 107. Ñ Hotãrâre privind numirea reprezentanþilor în Hotãrârea Guvernului nr. 639/1995, republicatã ... 8 Consiliul Bãncii Internaþionale de Colaborare ACTE ALE BÃNCII NAÞIONALE A ROMÂNIEI Economicã (B.I.C.E.) ºi în Consiliul Bãncii 2. Ñ Regulament privind operaþiuni cu titluri de stat Internaþionale de Investiþii (B.I.I), cu sediile la derulate prin Banca Naþionalã a României în cali- Moscova ................................................................... 2 tatea sa de agent al statului ................................... 9Ð14 110. Ñ Hotãrâre privind organizarea Ministerului Apãrãrii Naþionale .................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Download the Full Document About Romania
    About Romania Romania (Romanian: România, IPA: [ro.mɨni.a]) is a country in Southeastern Europe sited in a historic region that dates back to antiquity. It shares border with Hungary and Serbia to the west, Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova to the northeast, and Bulgaria to the south. Romania has a stretch of sea coast along the Black Sea. It is located roughly in the lower basin of the Danube and almost all of the Danube Delta is located within its territory. Romania is a parliamentary unitary state. As a nation-state, the country was formed by the merging of Moldavia and Wallachia in 1859 and it gained recognition of its independence in 1878. Later, in 1918, they were joined by Transylvania, Bukovina and Bessarabia. At the end of World War II, parts of its territories (roughly the present day Moldova) were occupied by USSR and Romania became a member of Warsaw Pact. With the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989, Romania started a series of political and economic reforms that peaked with Romania joining the European Union. Romania has been a member of the European Union since January 1, 2007, and has the ninth largest territory in the EU and with 22 million people [1] it has the 7th largest population among the EU member states. Its capital and largest city is Bucharest (Romanian: Bucureşti /bu.kureʃtʲ/ (help·info)), the sixth largest city in the EU with almost 2 million people. In 2007, Sibiu, a large city in Transylvania, was chosen as European Capital of Culture.[2] Romania joined NATO on March 29, 2004, and is also a member of the Latin Union, of the Francophonie and of OSCE.
    [Show full text]
  • The Miner Industry from Jiu Valley – Environmental and Social Influences
    Annals of the „Constantin Brâncuşi” University of Târgu Jiu, Economy Series, Special Issue/2014- Information society and sustainable development THE MINER INDUSTRY FROM JIU VALLEY – ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL INFLUENCES PROF.EC.DRD. BĂDĂU ADRIAN-BOGDAN LICEUL TEHNOLOGIC “RETEZAT” URICANI, e-mail:[email protected] Rezumat Situated in the middle of the MERIDIONAL CARPATHIENS, the DEPRESSION OF JIU VALLEY represents the main pitcoal basin of Romania. In the last century, the extraction activity had a major influence on the developement of the region.The influences and the effects of the miner industry can be classified in two big groups: positive effects which means the acceleration of the economical developement, of the means of communication and the increase of the population and negative effects being the main source of pollution of the region. Cuvinte cheie: mining, economy, pollution, heaps of debris Clasificare JEL : M40, M41 1. Introduction and context study The coal deposits of the Jiu Valley Coal Basin were discovered for the first time by chance in the 18th century and the first mining works took place during the middle of the 19th century in VULCAN and PETRILA areas. Nowadays, the Jiu Valley Coal Basin distinguishes itself for the beauty of its landscapes, which is combined in great harmony with the richness of the subsoil. The pit coal resources have brought this area into prominence and have turned it out into one of the most important industrial centre in Romania. During the socialist period, Jiu Valley was considered one of the most flourishing regions in Romania. Jiu Valley micro-region has lost its statute of the economically developed area as a result of shutting down the mining infrastructure and of the mono-industrialization (the mining industry being orientated mainly towards mining), being considered nowadays as a disadvantaged area.
    [Show full text]