What the newspapers say: November 4, 2010

Hundreds of Romanians gave up their terrains for nothing, because the highways that were supposed to be built never materialized, one newspaper reads on Thursday. Elsewhere in the news, European Commission President Barosso is expected in Romania on Monday, to receive a Doctor Honoris Causa title from the Bucharest University. A group of French lived for about a week, among gypsies in Pascani, North East Romania.

Hundreds of Romanians gave up their terrains in exchange for money for nothing, since the highways that should have been built were never materialized. Even though terrains are not used anymore, owners cannot get them back because the government does not have the time to set up the paperwork.

The national authority dealing with national roads and highways owns at least 70 acres of terrain resulted after expropriations. Mainly, the terrain was necessary for the Transylvania highway which was projected by the American Bechtel company but the constructors, Vinci and Aktor ended their contracts with the state.

The state paid about 2.5 million euro for the terrains and even though authorities declared that they will eventually be used, it is not necessarily the case because any future company will set up its own highway project on any route it sees fit. On top of this, the state was obliged to pay about 200,000 euro for lawyers dealing with each particular case and most of the times, the honoraries paid to lawyers exceeds the price of a terrain.

Elsewhere in the news, Bucharest University will award European Commission president Jose Manuel Durao Barroso with the Honoris Causa title, Gandul reads. The European official will arrive in Bucharest to attend the Danube Summit. The Summit will debate aspects related to the orientations considered in sketching the EU strategy for the Danube region.

There are 22 delegations expected at the Summit representing the 14 national states in the Danube region, the President of the European Commission, Prime Ministers or governors of the six German and Austrian regions that border the Danube and Ulm city mayor from Germany.

Also, Poland was invited to observe. The strategy will be adopted in the EU Council in April 2011 while Hungary takes over the presidency of the EU and in June will be submitted for approval in the European Council.

Evenimentul Zilei reads about a group of French who lived, for about a week among gypsies in Pascani, North East Romania to get to know them better and find out how they could help them.

The eight French, from Marseille and Toulon lived among gypsies, learning how it is to live like them. Most do not want to comment on French politics while others are determined when they say they do not endorse the policies put forward by Sarkozy. In the cities where they come from gypsies installed themselves on the cities’ old streets to beg.

The French were impressed by the culture, traditions and hospitality the gypsies showed to them. They expressed they wish that gypsies will be, someday, treated like human beings. The French are volunteers of the Association Secours Catholique, Caritas France a nongovernmental organization that fights against all forms of exclusion.