Authorities release official statistics. How many Romanians are living abroad?

Minister for Diaspora, Natalia Intotero, has announced on Wednesday that the latest official statistics revealed that about 9.7 million Romanians are living abroad, stressing that the main emigration reasons are related to corruption, the poor quality of the political class and poverty.

Out of 9.7 million of Romanians abroad, around 5.6 million are in Diaspora, while the difference belongs to the historical communities of Romanians who had always lived in other neighbouring countries.

“The main demand of the Romanians abroad is the condition of infrastructure and when I say infrastructure I refer to roads, highways, county and village roads, hospitals, decent healthcare conditions, schools, investments (…) All these would make Romanians living abroad return home (…) The most common reasons when it comes to Romania are the daily financial drawbacks, low incomes, lack of a decent job, stability, the poor quality of the political class over the time, corruption. Correction of these reasons that made them leave the country would be primal in their return, however the probability of the surveyed people to return home in the next four years is low,” minister Intotero told a press conference.

She added that this figure of Romanians who left Romania is “very high“. The statistics include the Romanians who left the country during 1945-1990 due to the communist regime and the citizens who left to work abroad after 1990, most of them heading to the EU countries after Romania had joined the European Union.

The minister also announced that the money allotted by her ministry this year to endorse the activities of the Romanians in Diaspora is mounting to almost RON 13.5 million.

The official statistics of the Romanian in Diaspora come several months before the presidential election in Romania, amid repeated rows with Romanians queuing to cast their votes in the past elections.

In retort, PMP leader Eugen Tomac has said that the report released by the Diaspora minister should represent a matter of security and that Romania’s Supreme Defence Council (CSAT) and Parliament should be on alert.