Minister Vasile Dâncu: We have growth to show off with in the statistics, but it is growth without development. Romania has Europe’s last rural civilisation

The economic growth in Romania is one without development that “we show off with in the statistics”, it consumes resources and gives the feeling of a positive trend, but to no avail, said on Monday the Minister of Regional Development and Administration, Deputy Prime Minister Vasile Dâncu.
“It is growth without development and growth without development it’s of no use to the people and it’s of no use for the future, it is growth that consumes. It consumes resources and gives the feeling of a positive trend, but actually to no avail,” said Dâncu during an event to launch a platform of dialogue on the development of rural areas, organized by the European Commission representation of Bucharest.
Dâncu said that this year is a turning point that will not be able to change the country, but may change the direction it is heading to.
“I think it is a turning point this year, that will not be able to change Romania because the country cannot be changed in one year, but may change the direction, may gather new energies for a project and this is the project I dream about in regard to the development of rural civilization and not only of the rural communities,” said Dâncu.

Romania has Europe’s last rural civilisation, we have to protect it

“We have Europe’s last rural civilisation and we should protect it. Europe feels it and tries to do so with us, but we do not accept it, it is as if we were not hearing. (…) In Romania, there are rather foreigners who warn us that our villages are dying, that a civilisation is dying. (…) It is a matter of culture that eludes us, a cultural dimension that eludes us, namely of self-organising and self-developing. (…) I believe that first of all we have to care about own country. That is the most important thing and it is not sloganeering,” Dancu said.
He added that saving the rural civilisation of Romania is first of all incumbent on Romanians because there is no European experience in the area, Agerpres informs.
“We need a new strategy that should be national because global strategies are hard to implement in Romania. Since we are Europe’s last rural civilisation, it is clear that there is no European model for it. (…) We are made aware by these debate platforms that everybody uses to tries and wake us up to do it. The European programmes of this year and the next financial year are generally based on making the community conceive its own development, and that is a very good thing that Europe puts at our disposal but we do not know how to use,” added Dancu.
He also mentioned the effects of accession to the European Union on Romania’s countryside, pointing to the absence of efficiency in the national legislation when it comes to protect the countryside.
“Let us be very candid and say accession to the European Union delivered a mortal blow to the Romanian peasants because Europe’s industrial and agricultural complex came over us like Soviet tanks. We, who return home [in the countryside] on holidays know that very well. Laws have been issued concerning the Romanian products out of the obligation to have local products in supermarkets, but those laws are not observed; we have wonderful control bodies but control is disregarded,” the minister said.