Charity and volunteering in Romania – everyone can make a difference

In her new weekly series on Romania-Insider.com, Danish columnist Eleonore of Schaumburg-Lippe writes about the involvement in charity work in Romania and how to work it into busy schedules.  “Charity work, yes, it is a good thing, but I just don’t have the time to get involved”. This, sadly, is the answer I often hear when [...]

Comment: Romania’s economic ship on a tight course, with dangers all around

Growth of 1.5 percent in GDP in 2012? I’m not sure, but I certainly hope so. Representatives of the recent IMF mission to Romania stuck to the 1.5 percent prediction. And they should know, right? As high priests of the world economy initiated into the mysteries of globalization, their predictions should count. But recent results [...]

Comment: Romania’s local election campaign, full speed ahead, but not all wheels in motion

For the first time in the last 12 years, or since I started to vote, I can actually cast my vote in the local elections in Bucharest. In Romania, this means I’ve finally added the Bucharest residence on my ID card. As I was never able to vote for the local elections in Bucharest and [...]

Comment: The bigger picture on cheating – where to draw the line?

People in Romania are rightly outraged by the allegations surrounding the USL’s choices for Education Minister in their new government. The first nominee made so many mistakes on her CV that no-one believes any of it is true and her successor is floundering in a controversy over academic plagiarism. The scandal is made worse by [...]

Comment: Goodbye and thanks, Mr Franks

I remember when Mr Franks was first seen on Romanian TV, taking up his role as IMF Chef de Mission. Bounding enthusiastically up the steps of some government building, a journalist asked him how he would solve the Romanian state’s financial problems. Immediately, he replied with a breathless smile, ‘Sell the Metro and make it [...]

Comment: European voters speak against austerity-only. What does it mean for Romania?

Guest writer Ronnie Smith comments on the recent French and Greek elections results and their potential impact on Romania.  On Sunday (May 6, 2012) voters in France and Greece were finally asked their views on the governance of their countries and the austerity-only measures forced on them by the E.U. Commission, the European Central Bank [...]

Happy two years to Romania-Insider.com from the journalist-turned-entrepreneur

By the time you’re reading this, I should be on a (very) short Easter break. One of the very few I’ve had in the last two years since we started Romania-Insider.com. Around this time of April, we’re celebrating our anniversary. It’s a quiet celebration, for the time being: we’re happy to have got this far, [...]

Comment: What went wrong? Why Romania’s people and politicians failed extreme weather test

The heavy snowfall in the last two weeks covered most of the southern region of the country, but uncovered a painful truth: the state is no longer equipped to help, or inspire its citizens to pitch in. Romania had a time buffer to prepare for all this. It had snowed for days before the authorities [...]

Bucharest for beginners; a few tips from an expat back in town

New to Bucharest? Bit lost? As per the front cover of the Hitch-hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, don’t panic. There are far more difficult places for the expatriate to adjust to than Bucharest. It’s been a good six years since I was in Romania and I have to admit it’s good to be back. I [...]

Why Romanians hate Romania

“Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all others because you were born in it.” In my younger and more vulnerable years I was very patriotic. I was convinced that Romania is one of the greatest countries in the world. There is a common thing any foreigner sees when meeting Romanians: they [...]

Romanian public joins the Joyride, charmed by Swedish band Roxette [PHOTOS]

Roxette fans in Romania have been waiting since the 90s to see their favourite band on stage in Bucharest. On Monday evening, when the concert in Romania finally happened, Romania-Insider.com was there to enjoy it… and then to spread the word about it. By Corina Saceanu (also a Roxette fan) Swedish band Roxette threw an [...]

Celebrating one year of Romania Business Insider – the first lessons

It was about this time of April last year when I quit my job as a journalist with an English-language magazine to start my own business. A couple of weeks after that, the Romania Business Insider English – language news website was born. A journalist turned entrepreneur. I had no idea how this would work [...]

A helping hand for seven-year old Robert and his family

I never went public with a story like the one you are about to read, but a seven year old boy, Robert, and his family, need help. And not just my help, but all the help we could all offer.

Robert was born with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and has been diagnosed with the third level of this syndrome when he was one year and a half. On top of it, due to an incorrectly administrated treatment, he now suffers a heart problem that was diagnosed two months ago and has to go under continuous treatment for both these medical problems. At 7, the age when he was already supposed to be in in the first grade in school, Robert doesn’t yet talk.

Steven van Groningen getting ready for marathon no. 16 – Bucharest Marathon, coming up next week

I have run 15 marathons, including the one I did as part of my Ironman triathlon a few years back in Austria. Still, I am not getting any younger and time to train and facilities remain a problem.

Leslie Hawke, Ovidiu Rom: An open letter to the citizens of the European Union, including Romanians

Imagine there were a virus spreading across Europe that severely impeded young children’s intellectual and physical development. The disease was so debilitating that children afflicted by it could never hold responsible jobs or be productive members of society. They would have to be cared for by the state for life.

Let’s run for our lives!

If it was not for an unavoidable trip out of Bucharest, I would be running in the Bucharest City Marathon this year. I am 28, a light smoker who’s been trying to quit since forever, I rarely exercise, I sit at my desk for hours, sometimes walk instead of taking the bus or taxi, but not as much as I would like, I eat at crazy hours.

Series of events cast light on deteriorating Romanian health system

The Romanian health system has come under scrutiny after several recent events which highlighted its poor state. The state of the local health system is even subject of debate abroad and has made international headlines. The BBC has recently wrote about the Romanian healthcare, saying it is ‘on verge of collapse’

Stories from Romania: Steven Van Groningen – Consumer Protection, But Which Consumers?

Recently we attended a wedding in Bucovina. The young couple lived in the USA but both were born in Romania and wanted to celebrate their religious wedding in Romania with their friends and relatives.

Stories from Romania: Steven Van Groningen- Bad, but not that bad

This is a story written by Steven van Groningen on his personal blog. A story about non-performing loans, Romanian accounting standards and the country’s risk premium. A must-read story written by a banker in Romania.

Discover Romania this summer. What’s your holiday recommendation?

We are trying to help our readers discover hidden places of Romania, places where they could discover the culture and the traditions, which might soon be lost in the turmoil of the modern world. Let’s help each other spend some quality time in Romania. If you’ve been to a certain place that you loved, or if you’d like to recommend a certain tourist sight you enjoyed, let the others know!

Stories from Romania: Steven van Groningen- Tanti Baba and the 40 Bottles

When I first moved to Romania for my work in 1993, the youngest of our two sons was less than one year old. In those days there was no good quality fresh milk in the shops and the import of long life milk was irregular. This problem was solved in the person of Salomnia, an old lady who did some cleaning at one of our neighbors.

Readers on how to re-start Romania: fight corruption, focus on education, agriculture, green economy, entrepreneurship

We’ve asked our readers to share their ideas on how we can re-start Romania. Or better said, on how can Romania be re-started. Not all the measures are in the hands of the people, but rather in the hands of our country rulers. But we’ve got some good ideas from some our expat readers, see [...]

How do we re-start Romania, what road to follow? Let us know what you think

How do you think Romania can be re-started and by whom (or by what)? What road should the country follow to achieve a higher level of economic development, which would allow its citizens to live decent lives? You might have seen how things were done in other countries. Share the knowledge. What would you do if you were to run this car?

Connect with us on Facebook and you can be chosen for a profile feature!

We are looking forward to reaching the first 200 fans on Facebook! Two of the these first 200 fans will be chosen by our editorial for a Profile feature on our site, if they are foreigners, or chosen to nominate an expat friend for the Profile. So let all your friends know! Go to our [...]

Going small, reader-centered and practical

It’s not a day that goes by that I’m not amazed of how much information comes our way, every minute of the day. You surely know what I mean – too many e-mails, too many websites to follow in order to scan for the essential information, too many newspapers… For us, Romanians, it’s sometimes overwhelming. [...]