One of the most famous books of the end of the last century was written by Francis Fukuyama and is about the end of History. Essentially, the author was talking about the end of the period when maps were drawn by conflict. After the fall of communism, Francis Fukuyama hoped that the great powers would have the wisdom to cooperate instead of clashing.
The year 2022 proved once again that this idea is an illusion. The war in Ukraine, triggered by Russia's brutal invasion, amounts to a new beginning in history.
We are 100 years after a moment of glory. On 15 October 1922, King Ferdinand I and Queen Maria were crowned sovereigns of Greater Romania in Alba Iulia. At that time, Romania was one of the most respected European countries, with a Royal Family that was the main driving force behind the modernisation of the country.
A century later, not much has changed. This year, the Republic of Moldova received the status of a candidate state to join the European Union. The Romanian Royal Family may be one of the main drivers of Moldova's European integration. It has already played this role for Romania, which joined the European Union in 2007.
Romania would perhaps not have been accepted into the Union so quickly without the involvement of a huge historical figure: King Mihai I, who, half a century after his departure into exile, has put his immense international prestige at the service of his country. Now, the Royal Family of Romania is once again on duty for Moldova.
As at the end of the First World War, Romania's main ally in the region is Poland. It is remarkable that both countries have similar interests, common friends and common enemies. Both Poland and Romania have distinguished themselves by their solidarity with millions of Ukrainian refugees and by the courage with which they decided to support the European integration of Ukraine and Moldova.
Already, Poland and Romania have mobilised significant political resources in support of this effort. But this support must go beyond declarations of support. Concrete steps need to be taken in areas such as the economic, cultural and academic fields. Moldova needs a different kind of European solidarity than Ukraine. Right now, Moldova needs investment that will create well-paid jobs and give hope to young people who want to stay at home.
On 15 October 1922, an event of great symbolic importance took place in Alba Iulia. King Ferdinand I and Queen Maria were crowned Kings of Great Romania. In practice, this event represented the victorious end of the First World War for Romania, as well as the Union of Transylvania, Bukovina and Bessarabia with the Kingdom of Romania.
At the outbreak of the First World War, the Kingdom of Romania was a small but respected state in the SouthEast European region. Romania was ruled by a dynasty of German origin, the Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, and was bound by a secret treaty of alliance with the Central Powers, because members of the Romanian political elite perceived Russia as Romania's main enemy. But Romanian public opinion was more favourable to France, which was part of the Antares.
For the first two years of the war, Romania remained neutral. The two military blocs each tried to draw Romania into the war on its side. The decisive factor was the bad treatment of Romanians in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In August 1916, Romania entered the war against the Central Powers. After the first few weeks, during which the Romanian army advanced into Transylvania, Bulgaria declared war on Romania. In the autumn of 1916, the Romanian army suffered a series of defeats. Romania's capital, Bucharest, was occupied by the armies of the Central Powers, along with Oltenia, Muntenia and Dobrogea. Romania's Royal Family, Government, Parliament and army retreated to Moldova, where the city of Iași became Romania's war capital.
In the spring of 1917, the Romanian army was reorganised and re-equipped with the help of the French Military Mission, led by General Henri Berthelot. As a result, that year the Romanian army was able to stop the Central Powers' attacks and even go on the counteroffensive. But the Romanian army's success was limited by the consequences of the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia. Communist leaders negotiated peace with the Central Powers and Romania was left alone on the Eastern Front. As a result, Romanian leaders had to call for an armistice and then negotiated a separate peace with the Central Powers. The peace was never signed by King Ferdinand I, who called for a return to war. This happened in November 1918.
1918 marked the collapse of the Ottoman, Russian, Austro-Hungarian and German empires. As a result, Romania managed to recover more territory than political leaders had hoped for when they entered the war. Bessarabia, occupied by the Russian Empire in 1812, united with Romania on 27 March 1918. Bukovina, which had been occupied by Austria in 1774, united with Romania on 15 November 1918. Transylvania, which had been incorporated into Austria in 1690 and then
For Romania, there followed a sustained effort to integrate the new provinces and gain international recognition for the union decisions. Even though the First World War officially ended with the armistice of 11 November 1918, the Romanian army had to go to battle again. In Bessarabia, there were numerous incidents at the new border on the Dniester provoked by the Bolsheviks. The Bolsheviks tried to organise an uprising in Tatar-Bunar, which was put down by the Romanian army. In the west, the army of the Soviet Republic of Hungary attacked Czechoslovakia and Romania. The Romanian army went on the counteroffensive and captured the Hungarian capital, Budapest.
At the same time, the leadership of diplomatic efforts to recognise Romania's new frontiers was taken over by Queen Mary, who personally went to Versailles to defend the rights of the Romanian Crown.
In 1922, all these efforts bore fruit. The new system of international treaties recognised Romania's new international status.
The Romanian authorities decided to symbolically mark this triumph by crowning King Ferdinand I and Queen Maria as sovereigns of Greater Romania. Symbolically, the old fortress of Alba Iulia was chosen as the site of the coronation because it had been the capital of the prince Michael the Brave, who had united the Romanian principalities for the first time in the Middle Ages.
An Orthodox cathedral was built for the coronation. It was built in just nine months. The coronation ceremony was scheduled for 15 November. The day before, the Romanian Royal Family left Sinaia train station by special train. Sinaia is home to Peleș Castle, the site of Romania's throne. On 15 October, at 09.30, the train stopped at Alba Iulia train station. The Royal Family was welcomed by Prime Minister Ion I.C. Brătianu and other members of the Government, the heads of the two chambers of Parliament and 40 foreign guests, including the future King George VI of Great Britain.
Queen Mary recalled that when the Royal Family was welcomed with bread and salt by the mayor of Alba Iulia, the rain started. The royal cortege went to the Orthodox cathedral, where the religious ceremony was officiated by four metropolitans. The ceremony was overshadowed by the government's refusal to hold an ecumenical ceremony, so the actual service was not attended by Romanian Greek Catholics. And it was for this reason that King Ferdinand I, who was Catholic, decided to crown himself outside the cathedral on a specially arranged podium. He placed on his forehead the Steel Crown, the symbol of Romania's independence. This crown had been made from the steel of a Turkish cannon captured during Romania's War of Independence in 1877 and used for the coronation of Romania's first King, Charles I. King Ferdinand I then crowned Queen Mary. Her crown was made of gold from the Western Carpathians, worked in Paris. Official dinners followed, held in Alba Iulia, in the Sala Unirii and the theatre building. The celebrations continued on 17 October in Bucharest, when the King and Queen of Romania were cheered by 10 000 mayors from all over the country.
Relations between Poland and the Romanian principalities began in the Middle Ages. At times they were conflictual, such as the battles in the Cozminer's Cove between the Polish king Jan Albert and the Moldavian prince Stephen the Great. But more often than not, Poland and the Romanian voivods were allies.
In the face of the Ottoman threat, King Kazimir of Poland sent 2,000 knights to help Stephen the Great. Another Moldavian voivode, Alexander the Good, sent Moldavian soldiers to help the Poles in their fight against the Teutonic knights.
For various periods of time, the voivodes of Moldavia and even Wallachia were vassals of the Polish kings. And a prince of Transylvania, Stephen Bathory, became king of Poland. Another Transylvanian prince, Gheorghe Rakoczi II, also tried to ascend the Polish throne, but failed.
Links between Romanians and Poles also flourished intellectually. Two of the most important Romanian authors, Grigore Ureche and Miron Costin, were educated in Poland, in the town of Bar.
King Stefan Bathory also founded the first university in present-day Romania. It is the Jesuit College founded in Cluj in 1581, today Babeș-Bolyai University. The first professors of this college came from the Jesuit College in Vilnius, also founded by King Stephen Bathory, and the first rector of the Cluj college was the Polish Jesuit Jakub Wujek, who translated the Bible into Polish.
Also as a historical parallel, the territories that make up Poland and Romania today were under the influence of three empires in the modern period. In the case of Poland, it was the Russian Empire, the Austrian Empire and the German Empire, and in the case of Romania it was
the Russian Empire, the Austrian Empire and the Ottoman Empire.
Romania gained independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1877 and became a kingdom in 1881. But most of the territory inhabited by Romanians was in neighbouring empires. So for Romanians, as for Poles, the First World War was an opportunity for national freedom.
For both peoples, a new stage began. Poland regained its independence on 11 November 1918 and Romania completed its national unity on 1 December 1918. But the rebirth of the two peoples was not without its dangers. Both Romania and Poland had to fight armed battles after the official end of the First World War to defend their territories. There were small conflicts, such as between Poland and Czechoslovakia, but for both countries the main enemy remained Bolshevism. Both Romania and Poland fought against Russian Bolshevism, and the Romanian army also fought in the west against the Soviet Republic of Hungary.
From those days, a true comradeship was born. After liberating Bukovina, the Romanian army took part in the liberation of Pocau, which went to Poland. Romania recognised Poland's independence in January 1919 and a few weeks later established diplomatic relations with Poland at legation level. From 1938, the legations were upgraded to embassy status.
A formal alliance also emerged between Romania and Poland, which operated for most of the interwar period. Poland's leader, Marshal Josef Pilsudski, became a personal friend of King Ferdinand I and Queen Mary. Moreover, as the Polish and Romanian army staffs were working on joint defence plans against Soviet Russia, Marshal Josef Pilsudski was appointed supreme commander of the Allied armies that were to operate on the Eastern Front.
Poland and Romania had and have a similar historical destiny. The friendship between Poles and Romanians runs so deep that Marshal Josef Pilsudski spoke of one people, from the Baltic to the Black Sea, with two flags.Josef Pilsudski among the members of the royal family of Romania
According to documents in the Romanian archives, in the late 1920s and early 1930s, Josef Pilsudski was considering the restoration of the monarchy in Poland, and the candidate under consideration was Prince Nicholas of Romania, the youngest son of King Ferdinand I and Queen Mary. Already, Romania's Royal Family was involved in a web of dynastic alliances. Princess Elisabeth of Romania had become Queen of Greece, Princess Maria of Romania had become Queen of Yugoslavia, and Princess Ileana of Romania was to become Archduchess of Habsburg.
But the death of Josef Pilsudski put an end to these plans. Josef Beck, who was not so favourable to Romania, took over as head of Polish diplomacy. Josef Beck believed more in an alliance with Hungary, which was Romania's enemy.
Against this background of cooling Polish-Romanian relations, the Second World War broke out. Romania decided to honour its old friendship with Poland. In September 1939, Romania received 100,000 Polish refugees, 60,000 of them soldiers. Poland's president, government and Polish treasury were rescued by Romania. On 17 September 1939, the 82 tonnes of Polish gold were loaded onto a British ship in the port of Constanta and eventually sent to London, where they financed the fight for Poland's freedom.
Also in the name of its old friendship with Poland, Romania refused Nazi Germany's proposal to annex Poland. During the Second World War, Romanian and Polish exiles collaborated in London. And after the Second World War, Romania and Poland shared the same tragic fate: they lost their territories in the east, occupied by the USSR, and were turned into Soviet colonies.
The year 1989 marked a return to freedom for Romania and Poland. Today, the two countries are partners in the European Union, allies in NATO and have rediscovered their old friendship in the face of the same old enemy: Russia.
Since the foundation of the Dynasty, the Royal Family of Romania has been involved in the process of Westernisation. Basically, the Romanians' rapprochement with the West began in 1700, when most of the Romanians in Transylvania united with the Church of Rome and the Greek-Catholic Church emerged. This church helped form a Western intellectual elite, trained in Catholic schools in Rome or Vienna. With the help of the young Romanians who returned to Transylvania, the Ardelean School emerged. It was a school of thought that generated awareness of the Latin origin of the Romanians, their belonging to Europe and the struggle for national rights. The ideas and teachers of the Transylvanian School crossed the Carpathians and generated a similar intellectual movement in Iași and Bucharest.
Young people trained in the schools founded by teachers from the Transylvania went on to Paris and Berlin, and after returning to their native lands, they helped to shape a movement of ideas that led to the 1848 Revolution. For the first time, the idea of uniting the territories inhabited by Romanians emerged.
A favourable context emerged out of Russia's defeat in the Crimean War. As a result, in 1859, the generation of 1848 revolutionaries achieved the union of the Moldavian and Wallachian principalities. They also imposed one of the revolutionaries, Colonel Alexandru Ioan I Cuza, as Prince. But his reign was only a transitional one, aimed at consolidating the union of principalities that were, in terms of international law, only privileged provinces of the Ottoman Empire. To achieve independence, more was needed. As a result, in February 1866, revolutionaries staged a coup d'état and removed Prince Alexandru Ioan I Cuza from the throne. They then offered the Crown of the United Romanian Principalities to Count Philippe of Flanders, but he refused.
The Romanian leaders then changed their minds and offered the throne to Prince Karl von Hohenzollern-
Sigmaringen, who accepted. The young German prince arrived in Romania on 10 May 1866. The moment he stepped onto Romanian soil, he became Romanian, as he would declare himself. The Act of 10 May 1866 signifies the foundation of the Romanian Dynasty.
International recognition of his election was difficult, as there were great powers that wanted to annul the Union of 1859. But Prince Karl, who became Carol I of Romania, succeeded in gaining international recognition and began a rapid process of westernisation. In just a few weeks, he gave Romania one of the most modern Constitutions in the world. This Constitution gave Romania the framework to develop its institutions in a Western style. These institutions then profoundly transformed Romanian society in the direction of Europeanisation.
In 1877, Carol I proclaimed Romania's independence and won it after a war in which the small but heroic Romanian army tipped the balance of victory in the confrontation between the Russian and Ottoman Empires. In return, Romania received the Black Sea province of Dobrogea.
In 1881, the Parliament decided to proclaim the Kingdom and Prince Carol I was crowned King of Romania. The Royal Crown was made from the steel of
a Turkish cannon captured in the War of Independence.
Romania quickly became a regional power, able to impose the election of King Carol I's nephew, Wilhelm of Wied, as Prince of Albania. Romania also decided the winners of the Balkan Wars.
At the outbreak of the First World War, Romania found itself in a paradoxical situation: it was surrounded by territories where Romanians formed the demographic majority. The dilemma for the Romanian political class was whether to enter the war with the Central Powers to liberate Bessarabia or to fight alongside Entente to liberate Transylvania and Bucovina.
In the end, Romania went to war alongside Entente. Under the leadership of King Ferdinand I, Romania succeeded in liberating all the territories inhabited by Romanians.
Despite the Great World Economic Crisis, the Romanian economy, culture and institutions strengthened and developed under the leadership of Kings Ferdinand I and Carol II. But the Second World War brought dark clouds over Romania. Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina were occupied by Soviet Russia, Northern Transylvania was occupied by Hungary and Southern Dobrogea was returned to Bulgaria. Romania survived as a state and began fighting to regain its territories. First, it fought against Soviet Russia to liberate occupied territories in
the East. Then, after the campaign in the East failed, Romania fought Nazi Germany and fascist Hungary to take back Northern Transylvania.
At the end of the war, Romania had lost Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina, but regained Northern Transylvania. In addition, the Soviet army had entered the country, which meant the imposition of a communist dictatorship and the exile of King Michael I. His Majesty survived the communist regime, and the Royal Family returned home to help Romania find its way back to Europe.
The entire Royal Family has been working to join NATO and the European Union. King Michael I was one of the best promoters of Romania's reintegration into the West, with his universally recognised prestige.
The Royal Family of Romania has organised official visits abroad, received Western dignitaries in palaces that were returned to them, organised economic missions and sports and cultural events to help Romania return to normality.
Today, Her Majesty Margaret, the Custodian of the Romanian Crown, officially addresses the Romanian Parliament, hosts a 10th of May Garden Party attended by thousands of people, bestows decorations and high patronage, and Romanian companies rejoice when they have the opportunity to receive the title of Official Supplier to the Royal House of Romania. The Royal Family of Romania currently has all the attributes of a ruling family, with the exception of the constitutional consecration of this status.
But the mission of the Royal Family does not end there. Through the voice of His Royal Highness Prince Radu of Romania, the Royal Family has assumed the moral obligation to lead and accompany the Republic of Moldova on its path towards the European Union, just as it did with Romania.
One of the most effective means by which members of the Royal Family of Romania promote the interests of Romanian companies is the organisation of economic missions abroad. Romanian companies have the opportunity to find, through these missions, business partners, attract investors or conclude various trade agreements. There are also many cases where Romanian companies manage to identify different opportunities to invest abroad.
These economic missions conducted over the years have produced many concrete results: a German company has invested over 10 million euros in some factory manufacturing metal components for the automotive industry, another German company has invested in the creation of a software production centre in the towns of Bălți and Chișinău, the capital of the Republic of Moldova, and a Cluj infrastructure company has already invested in Chișinău, Republic of Moldova. Long-term partnerships have also emerged: the Porsche Group software division has entered into a partnership with a software company in the Republic of Moldova.
An architecture company from Cluj is also looking to expand into Moldova. There are concrete results of economic missions sponsored by the Royal Family to other countries. A tourism company from Cluj has developed a long-standing tourism partnership with companies in Jordan. Another example is companies in the field of infrastructure materials, such as geotextiles, looking for business partners and suppliers in Poland.
These businesses are the consequence of the economic missions organised since 2016 under the leadership of His Royal Highness Prince Radu of Romania. In the spring of 2016, a delegation of businessmen from Transylvania took part in an economic, academic and cultural visit that was organised in several localities in the Republic of
Moldova. In the capital city Chișinău, the representatives of Cluj companies met business partners, government officials and public authorities. The delegation led by His Royal Highness Prince Radu of Romania met with the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova, the Minister of Agriculture, the Mayor of Chișinău, and the leadership of the North Regional Development Agency in Bălți. The business delegation also visited other localities, such as Regina Maria or Purcari, the latter famous for its vineyard.
An official visit to Germany, Dusseldorf and Neuss followed in the autumn of 2016. Transylvanian businessmen met with representatives of the chambers of commerce and industry of the two cities, as well as representatives of the Dusseldorf Stock Exchange. Besides the Cluj companies, the Romanian Government was represented at this visit by the Deputy Prime Minister, the Minister of Economy, the Foreign Minister, State Secretaries, and Emil Hurezeanu, Ambassador of Romania in Germany.
In the autumn of 2017, the Trilateral Royal Business Conference took place in Cluj-Napoca under the aegis of His Royal Highness, Princess Radu of Romania. The event brought together companies from Romania, Germany and the Republic of Moldova, which tried to identify new opportunities for economic cooperation. It also laid the foundations for future partnerships between different business associations in the three countries. The event was hosted by the University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine at the "King Michael I" Institute of Life Sciences.
There is also interest from Transylvanian companies to establish the bases of regular economic cooperation with Moldovan and German companies, as well as to organise new economic missions in countries such as Poland or France. The increased effectiveness of such economic missions has also led to a steady increase in the number of those interested in the opening of such projects organised at the initiative of His Royal Highness Prince Radu of Romania.
An economic mission organised by the Royal Family of Romania to Jordan followed. The economic forum held in Amman, in the presence of Her Majesty Margaret of Romania, was the largest bilateral economic event in the history of relations between Romania and Jordan. Following this visit, there is interest in developing new Romanian-Jordanian partnerships in the field of green energy production, using photovoltaic panels, as well as in the food sector.
Another highlight was the organization of a Romanian-Polish economic forum in September 2019 in the Polish city of Wroclaw. There is already Romanian-Polish cooperation in the field of media, as well as
the prospect of developing partnerships between the public administration of the Lower Silesia and Cluj regions. Universities in the two regions are also exploring the possibility of developing joint projects.
In 2022, His Royal Highness Prince Radu of Romania led the largest delegation to Moldova Business Week, held in Chisinau in September, in the presence of worldclass personalities such as Professor Francis Fukuyama. In addition to Romanian entrepreneurs, the delegation led by His Royal Highness included entrepreneurs from Italy and Poland.
All these events led to the coagulation of a business club that will operate under the aegis of the Royal Family of Romania. This is the International Business Society, which already brings together entrepreneurs from Romania, Moldova, Italy, Poland and Germany, eager to work together to promote the high moral values assumed by the Royal Family of Romania in the economic field.
Reporter: Mr. Vice President, statistics show that Cluj has developed economically at a better pace than other urban centres. Why did this happen?
Vákár István: I would start my answer with a joke. A public opinion polling institute carried out a survey in which the inhabitants of different cities were asked to say which they considered to be Romania's second city. Those from Iași answered that Iași; those from Constanța answered that their city, Constanța, is in this position; those from Timișoara answered that Timișoara is; those from Cluj answered that Bucharest is the second city in Romania, because Cluj is the first city of the country. Beyond the anecdote, we are talking about the desire to perform, the desire to be competitive, not only in the national context, but also at European level. This desire can be found among the universities in Cluj. If we take international rankings as a whole, we can see that universities in Cluj are among the top universities in Romania, as well as in the European elite. The same is true in sport, where Cluj has produced champions in the most popular competitions, football and basketball. But it's the same on the economic level. Romania's biggest bank, Banca Transilvania, has its headquarters in Cluj. There are many companies from Cluj, in high-tech sectors such as IT, that have
taken the step towards internationalisation. All these things create value and raise the quality of life in Cluj.
Reporter: But there are also some problems, such as pollution and overcrowded traffic, not to mention the fact that Cluj has become the most expensive city in Romania...
Vákár István: And if we are talking about a child, there are different problems when growing up. Everything you said is true. But there is good news: Cluj is not only growing, it's developing. And where there are problems, we try to find solutions. On pollution, for example, I should mention that the first city in Romania to introduce electric buses was Cluj-Napoca. Also, the first city with 100% electric public transport is also in our county, in Turda. The County Council has also undertaken a massive reforestation programme. We want to encourage the community of Cluj to plant one million trees. As a graduate of the University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, I am glad that my university supports this initiative. To tackle the problem of congested traffic, the County Council has launched the park and ride programme, which aims to encourage drivers to park at the edge of the city and use public transport from there. There
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We, the people of Cluj, together with our dear guests, enjoy Cluj's superb heritage, outstanding gastronomy, superb festivals and a cultural heritage that makes us proud to belong to a multi-ethnic and multi-confessional community, where everyone should be free to live together in peace with those who love our Cluj, of all of us”.
are other initiatives worth noting, such as Green Friday. Every Friday, riders ride free on public transport in Cluj. I myself use public transport as often as I can and I can say that it is well organised. You mentioned another problem: expensive housing. It is a problem generated by the attractiveness of Cluj. Most of the students who come to the city fall in love with Cluj and want to stay here. This is good, because we are talking about welleducated, dynamic and energetic people.
To provide housing for all, we need to change the community's thinking. First of all, let's encourage the right investments in real estate, not only in Cluj but also in the metropolitan area. This is where our role, the public administration, comes in. We must have the same living standards in Baciu and in Cluj, in Florești and in Apahida, in Feleacu and in Chinteni and so on.
Reporter: But in order to secure housing, young people need to have well-paying jobs, right?
Vákár István: Of course, and that's why the public administration has invested in the development of projects like the Tetarom industrial parks. These parks have attracted world-class investors such as Emerson, Bosch, DeLonghi and many
others. But local investors have also found the Tetarom parks a good environment for development. Then the County Council also invested in the airport development. It is the most dynamic airport in the region, which, with God's help, will reach the 3,000,000 passenger threshold next year. The County Council has also invested in upgrading the road network. The County Council is also an active member of the Cluj clusters, which play an important role in the transfer of technology from academia to the economy. I should also tell you that people don't just want jobs and housing; they want to enjoy life in decent conditions. That is why we have invested in modernising hospitals, which are among Romania's elite. The County Council also supports highperformance cultural institutions, such as the Transylvanian State Philharmonic or the County Library, as well as museums and centres that highlight Transylvania's traditions. We, the people of Cluj, together with our dear guests, enjoy Cluj's superb heritage, outstanding gastronomy, superb festivals and a cultural heritage that makes us proud to belong to a multi-ethnic and multi-confessional community, where everyone should be free to live together in peace with those who love our Cluj, of all of us.
The University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj is the best rated university with an agronomic profile in Romania, according to international metarankings. Metaphorically, the Cluj university is playing in the European Champions League. The university has six faculties and three lines of study: Romanian, French and English. Its study programmes attract many foreign students, mainly from the West, from countries such as France, Germany and Italy. The university also has an elite group of scientific researchers who are among the most highly rated specialists in the European Union, such as Andrei Mihalca and Dan Vodnar.
But beyond the academic, multicultural and scientific dimensions, the University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine has a strong entrepreneurial dimension. The university has its own farms, which have been certified for organic farming. Teachers and students also work in small factories where raw materials from the university's farms are processed into high-quality food.
and specialists from the University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine want to help save this tradition. What's more, they are helping to save some old Romanian varieties. "The Apoldia Maior estate is the only place where the grape variety called Iordana is still grown on an area of about three hectares. This variety produces a white wine with high acidity, very good for making sparkling wine," says the rector Cornel Cătoi, who emphasised the entrepreneurial dimension of the prestigious Cluj higher education institution.
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The management of the university is also involved in the community through Romania's most efficient emergency veterinary hospital. Within it, the Equine Clinic, founded by Iancu Morar, is the most sought-after east of Vienna. The Clinica de Equvine will become a fullfledged university hospital as the former noble hunting manor in Jucu commune is restored and transformed into a research centre for scientific research in areas such as human-animal interaction.
One of the most important initiatives was the purchase of a 50-hectare vineyard in the Apoldu area of Sibiu county. Southern Transylvania is renowned for the high quality of the white wines it produces,
In line with the direction taken by rector Cornel Cătoi, the dean of the Faculty of Agriculture, Roxana Vidican, has founded a programme through which Romanian farmers can benefit from free consultancy offered by specialists from the University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine. New areas of research have also been developed, such as the bioeconomy and the circular economy.
Professor Adrian Oros, senator of Romania, pro-rector of the universityand former minister of agriculture, has initiated a new project that has the potential to become the main economic and academic event for agriculture in Romania. It is the Transilvania Food Summit. "This event highlights the traditions and specificities of Transylvania's agricultural economy. It is no coincidence that major international publications have compared Transylvania to Tuscany in this respect. We have a huge potential, which we want and know how to exploit. Transilvania Food Summit is not
just about food. It is about the culture that generates a certain lifestyle and a certain way of relating to nature, it is about the multicultural historical heritage of a region where Romanians, Hungarians, Germans, Armenians, Jews, Roma and many others live together, it is about a remarkable biodiversity that is worth preserving. At the Transylvania Food Summit we are highlighting phenomena specific to our region, such as the family farm. It is not by chance that Pope Francis supports the development of family farms, able to offer farmers the possibility to live with dignity and to offer healthy food to those around them, respecting Nature as God's creation. This concept is also promoted by the United Nations because family farms are a balanced economic solution. The concept is also promoted by Her Majesty Margaret of Romania and the Royal Family
The actions of the university are in line with his statements. In recent years, Her Majesty Margareta, Custodian of the Romanian Crown, as well as high prelates such as Catholic Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, former President of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, now Prior of the International Academy of Saint Mauritius, have become Honorary Doctors of the University of Cluj.
Transilvania Food Summit will take this concept forward. The organisers will bring together producers, processors, distributors, chain store owners, buyers, as well as representatives from academia, authorities and international institutions to promote the best models for Transylvania's agriculture.
"The last few years, with the challenges brought by the pandemic and the war in Ukraine, have shown how important it is to have a model of rural development appropriate to our region. This model, based on the family farm as well as local storage and processing capacities, favours the production of high added value in growing communities. We also want to consume high quality food locally. This is a win-win situation, including financially. Building a farm-to-fork chain also helps reduce our carbon footprint, because we don't have to use huge amounts of fossil fuel to transport food," says Professor Adrian Oros.
The Republic of Moldova is at a historic moment. Since the summer of 2022, in the context of the war in Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova has become a candidate state for accession to the European Union. The start of the accession process, then accession and actual integration will change the DNA of Moldovan society.
Here are seven arguments in favour of Moldova's accession to the European Union.
1.Moldova has been part of Europe since prehistory. One of the most brilliant prehistoric civilisations, the Cucuteni, developed in Moldova. In ancient times, Greek colonies were established in the south of Moldova and the area north of the Black Sea was under the control of the Roman Empire. In the Middle Ages, the present territory of the Republic of Moldova was controlled by the Principality of Moldavia, which was one of the most active players in the European political system. Moldova's elites were educated in Poland, Transylvania, Rome and other European countries. In 1812, the territory of Moldova between the Prut and the Dniester was occupied by the Russian Empire, but after World War I it was liberated by the Kingdom of Romania. After the Second World War, the territory of the Republic of Moldova was incorporated into the USSR, and after the fall of communism it proclaimed its independence. Throughout its history, the Republic of Moldova belongs to Europe.
The Republic of Moldova has paid the price of freedom. In 1992, the small army of the Republic of Moldova faced, for the first time, the Russian army in the war in Transnistria. This war was born out of Russia's desire to take revenge for Moldova's decision to move closer to the West. First, the Russians across the Dniester were encouraged to proclaim their independence from the Republic of
Moldova. Their secession was not recognised by the international community, so a real war broke out, in which the poorly armed Moldovan army heroically defeated the troops of the 14th Russian Army, who were supporting the Transnistrian militias. Since the summer of 1992, part of Moldova has been under Russian occupation and the conflict has been frozen.
Moldovan culture is deeply European. It is, in fact, Romanian culture. In Moldova, the official language is Romanian, the culture is identical to that of Romania, and the accession of the Republic of Moldova naturally implies the reunification of Romanians into the great European family.
4.Romanians living in the Republic of Moldova have the right to Romanian citizenship. They, their parents or grandparents were deprived of their Romanian citizenship without their will after the annexation of Bessarabia by the Soviet Union. These Romanians are therefore entitled to have their Romanian citizenship restored. The Romanian state has already taken steps in this direction, and Romanians in Bessarabia can apply to regain Romanian citizenship. More than half a million inhabitants of the Republic of Moldova have already obtained Romanian citizenship, and several hundred thousand others have already applied for and will receive Romanian citizenship. This means that they are European citizens. Thus, Moldova's integration into the European Union will, in fact, mean the
3.
integration of a state whose citizens already enjoy the status of citizens of the European Union.
The economy of the Republic of Moldova is strongly linked to that of the European Union. The main trading partner and investor in the Republic of Moldova is Romania. There are also excellent relations with other European countries: Germany, France, Italy and Poland. Moldova's accession to the European Union will deepen this process of economic integration. This will benefit both the Republic of Moldova and the European Union.
The European states have finally abandoned the approach that they have to spare Russia. Some Western diplomats believed that the Republic of Moldova was in Russia's sphere of influence. But this approach is deeply immoral. Beyond a state's supposed right to a sphere of influence, people have the right to decide their own future. And if the citizens of the Republic of Moldova have chosen the path that leads them to the European Union, their choice must be respected. It is a fundamental democratic principle. If this principle were not respected, there would be no moral basis for the European Union.
The Republic of Moldova will bring a great gain to the European Union. It is not just a question of an enlarged territory or an additional population that will buy European products
and produce for other European citizens, but first and foremost a multicultural state that can be a model of integration, inspiring other states in the region that wish to join the European Union. The reforms adopted in recent years have demonstrated Moldova's willingness to put European values into practice. These values have been demonstrated in practice in the context of the war in Ukraine. The Republic of Moldova received the highest number of refugees in relation to the total population. This generosity deserves to be rewarded with a clear path to early accession, once Moldova meets the basic conditions for admission to the EU bloc.
Romania's economy has managed to absorb the shocks of the coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine, and now Romania is preparing to take the step towards developed economy status. This means increased attractiveness for investors, but also greater global responsibilities.
Officially, Romania is still an emerging economy. However, in 2020 and 2022, Romania has joined the ranks of highincome economies, as developments in 2021 were strongly influenced by the coronavirus pandemic. Economic analysts also expect the Romanian economy to enjoy robust growth in the medium term, despite fears of a global economic downturn caused by the war in Ukraine and the energy crisis. But Romania is in a privileged position. Thanks to the remarkable way Romanians have welcomed Ukrainian refugees, Romania has earned the respect of the authorities in Kiev and the sympathy of its NATO and EU allies.
Due to its geographic proximity, Romania will probably be one of the hubs that the international community will use for the reconstruction of Ukraine, once the war ends with a just peace. Also, Romania is one of the countries least dependent on Russian hydrocarbons. Thanks to the deposits of methane gas in the Black Sea, which have already started to be exploited, Romania has the chance to become one of the most important energy exporters in this part of Europe. And the revenues that will be obtained from these exports will strengthen the growth of the Romanian economy. Romanian society has already experienced this process. At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century, Romania was one of the world's leading oil producers. Moreover, the first oil refinery in the world was established in Romania. The exploitation of oil generated an important flow of capital into the Romanian economy, and this led to the rapid modernisation of Romania. It is not only fossil fuel investments that are taking place in Romania, but also nuclear energy investments, with the help of Americanmade micro-reactors that will complement the nuclear power plant at Cernavodă. There are also serious renewable energy projects. In the Dobrogea region, wind energy projects predominate, while in the other regions photovoltaic energy projects predominate. Moreover, there
are scientific research projects, such as those in Cluj-Napoca, aimed at developing new ways to increase the efficiency of photovoltaic panels and batteries for storing the energy produced.
But these economic growth trends are also being boosted by the efforts of the Romanian authorities. On the one hand, Romania is awaiting accession to the Schengen area. For more than a decade now, Romania has met all the technical conditions for Schengen membership, and the way it has managed the flow of Ukrainian refugees shows that the Romanian authorities have the administrative capacity to manage this status successfully. The removal of border controls between Romania and Hungary will further stimulate international trade, especially as Romania has made efforts to develop its motorway network in Transylvania. Only one small segment of the Pan-European Corridor IV route in Southern Transylvania is missing and is already under construction. On the route of the Transylvania Motorway, several segments have been completed in Cluj, Mures and Bihor counties, and the sections that will link these segments are under construction. The two motorways are linked by the Turda - Sebeș motorway. In addition, work has started on the first Romanian motorway that will cross the Carpathian Mountains and connect the
Transylvanian motorway network to the one in southern Romania. When these projects are completed, hauliers will be able to travel seamlessly from Romania's western border with Hungary to București and the Romanian Black Sea ports, of which Constanta is the most important. These projects are possible thanks to European money. And European money is also being used to modernise Romania's railway network. Airports and ports on the Black Sea and the Danube have already benefited from massive investments from the European Union, and these investments support the development of the Romanian economy.
Another step Romania has taken is to join the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. Joining the OECD will strengthen Romania's status as a developed country, which offers investors added security.
There are also efforts to stimulate those economic sectors that highlight the intelligence of Romanians. For example, the IT industry. Cluj has become one of the most important centres of this industry. In the capital of Transylvania, 25,000 IT specialists work, as well as almost 20,000 specialists in Business Services. Other cities, such as Iasi, are following this development model, which means a new engine that will boost the growth and development of the Romanian economy.
It is based on industries that produce high added value, such as IT or the production of car components, including electric cars, sophistication and a green approach to economic processes.
Moldova's agriculture is starting to transform from one that provided cheap raw materials to one that emphasises high-quality products, which positions Moldova's brand in the premium category. This transformation is a natural process, as Moldova's economy is already reoriented towards the European Union.
Romania has become the main trading partner, the main export market and the main investor in Moldova. Moreover, the excellent level of economic relations is matched by a fully functioning partnership at the political level, as Romania has become the main promoter of Moldova's integration into the European Union.
One of the most dynamic economic sectors in the Republic of Moldova is IT. This economic sector currently employs around 19,000 people. Most of them work in Chișinau, but also in secondary centres such as Balti. This industry has also grown rapidly thanks to wise tax incentives. IT companies that register on the publicly administered Moldova IT Park virtual platform benefit from a favourable tax system. There is a flat tax of 7 percent of turnover, which covers corporate tax, payroll tax, social security taxes and health insurance taxes. This system has provided companies with predictability and a favourable tax regime, and has provided employees with higher net incomes. This has reduced the number of Moldovan IT specialists going abroad and increased the number of specialists working in the industry. Moreover, the value of exports by the Moldovan IT industry has exceeded the value of exports by wine producers. A similar development was recorded by the automotive components industry. This is an industry created practically from
scratch. In very many cases, international companies have invested in Moldova through their Romanian subsidiaries. This development has come about naturally, as Romania and Moldova share not only a common language but also an identical working culture.
Many of the factories producing components for the automotive industry are located in Free Economic Zones. These are real production parks, such as the one in Balti, where Western companies, including Romanian ones, can import raw materials, which they process with the help of employees from the Republic of Moldova, and then bring back to the European Union, without having to pay export duties.
Both the IT industry and the automotive components industry benefit from the openness of the Moldovan education system. Already, the first dual schools, organised on the German model, have been set up to train well-qualified workers. Professional master's degrees have also emerged, training young engineers in line with the latest labour market requirements.
There are Moldovan entrepreneurs who have realised that profits from products such as wine delivered in bulk to various markets, such as Russia, are extremely low. In this context, some winery owners have started to invest in producing high quality wines that win more and more medals at international wine competitions. These wines are sold on international markets at good prices, giving producers a chance to make a fair profit, and consumers a chance to discover the charm of local varieties such as Rara Neagră. But more importantly, these successful industries help to strengthen Moldova's country brand.
Another benefit is to boost other economic sectors, such as tourism. A few years ago, international publications wrote that Moldova was the least visited country in Europe. But this is about to change. First of all, Moldova's road infrastructure is being modernised and wine tourism is growing rapidly. What's more, places such as Old Orhei, which preserve Moldova's ancient cultural traditions, are becoming better known around the world.
In the medium term, the outlook for Moldova's economy is more than optimistic. The start of the process of accession to the European Union opens up the possibility of attracting European funds, which will rapidly and profoundly modernise Moldova, as happened in other countries of the former socialist camp. Pre-accession financial programmes such as PHARE, SAMTID and ISPA have already proved their worth. The Republic of Moldova is also in a position to be one of the main actors in the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine, both because of the ease of communication with the people of Ukraine and because of its geographical proximity.
One of the most dynamic technology companies combining German quality and Romanian creativity is VIVAJO. VIVAJO's main goal is to contribute to sustainability through digitalisation.
„Efficiency is one of our core values. We are excited about the technological advancement based on artificial intelligence, which can provide us with solutions for a sustainable lifestyle, which will lead to the expansion of our services" .
While the company has so far performed in the field of digital solutions for real estate, in the future it will expand its activities to other industries. Such as the mobility of the future or ecomobility. This is one of the most important challenges taken up by the VIVAJO group, which includes 9 companies in 3 countries: Germany, Romania and Moldova. The group has reached 8,000 customers and future plans include both increasing these numbers and expanding regionally. Already, VIVAJO includes one of the most successful teams of artificial intelligence specialists. It brings together specialists from Romania, France, Italy and even Afghanistan. The company was founded in Cluj-Napoca in 2008 by German entrepreneur Artur Grasberger. The next step
was to turn it into a group, involving Angela Grasberger. The VIVAJO Group expanded first in Romania and the Republic of Moldova. The decision to expand to the Republic of Moldova was taken following an economic mission led by His Royal Highness Prince Radu of Romania, in which Artur Grasberger also participated.
programming. We already have more than 150 colleagues, most of them IT specialists, and we expect to see accelerated growth in the coming period, because there is demand for our products on the international market. We want to bring another 200 colleagues into our team," says the company's CEO Artur Grasberger. Thus, the VIVAJO team is currently present in Munich, Cluj-Napoca, Sibiu, Brasov, Iasi, Balti and Chisinau.
Artur Grasberger says he wants to strengthen VIVAJO's presence in the region because software specialists in this part of Europe demonstrate a solid technical education, the ability to communicate in multiple languages and the ability to understand multiple cultures. Already, Artur Grasberger has adapted excellently to the Romanian culture and, more jokingly or seriously, his friends say that the founder of the technology company has become half-Romanian because he understands the reality of Romania and Moldova better than many locals do. This ability to analyse and understand the local reality, together with German tenacity, has ensured the success of entrepreneur Artur Grasberger.
vivajo.com office@vivajo.com
In Basarabia, the first step was to create a branch in the municipality of Balti, where the VIVAJO team found young people of merit, trained by professors from Alecu Russo University. The second step was the expansion in Chisinau, and now the company wants to open offices in the Western Balkans. "We are studying the opportunity to find new colleagues in countries such as Serbia, Northern Macedonia, Montenegro or Albania. We are encouraged in this endeavour by the success in Romania and the Republic of Moldova, where VIVAJO has become synonymous with excellence in
"Efficiency is one of our core values. We are excited about the technological advancement based on artificial intelligence, which can provide us with solutions for a sustainable lifestyle, which will lead to the expansion of our services," says Artur Grasberger. He added that he has developed a company philosophy that is based on the seven values of martial arts, values that foster excellence. According to entrepreneur Artur Grasberger, digitisation will make it possible to fill the labour shortage by increasing the efficiency of the activities carried out.
Angela Grasberger, who has become one of the "engines" of VIVAJO's growth, Artur
One measure of the success of the solutions developed by VIVAJO is the rapid increase in demand from customers. For this very reason, VIVAJO is looking to recruit new colleagues. "We have open positions such as php developer, customer success manager, c#net software developer or front-end Javascript developer. We are also looking for colleagues with SAP ABAP, JAVA and AWS knowledge. It is essential that our new colleagues know English, and knowledge of German is a big plus", adds VIVAJO CEO Artur Grasberger.
The company founded by Artur Grasberger uses API - Application Programming Interface, which is a digital interface that simplifies the processes involved in real estate. Basically, using this technology, users of the solutions developed by VIVAJO easily transfer their data, and the IT solutions generate files that allow online viewing of properties, which can then be very easily integrated into the software used by the company or individuals who want to sell or rent a property. The usefulness of the solutions developed by the VIVAJO team has been proven in the context of the coronavirus pandemic. These solutions have
enabled end customers of real estate companies, especially those in Germany, to buy or rent different properties. Basically, in a context where authorities were recommending that human contact be kept to a minimum, these solutions made it possible to view artists' apartments, houses or studios. But the usefulness of these solutions goes beyond the context of the coronavirus pandemic. They are a useful tool for people who want to move to another city, who want to rent or buy properties in areas where they want to spend their holidays, or who want to invest in such properties to do business.
Grasberger's wife, is directly involved in the group's expansion. She stresses that "our group's growth is based on firm values. We believe in the digital transformation of society, we believe that people can be more efficient with the help of new technologies and we believe that we need to focus more on sustainability in the economic and social fields." If Angela Grasberger is the heart of the company, Artur Grasberger is the logical decision maker.
The VIVAJO team focuses on meeting customer expectations, innovation with the help of specialist expertise and sustainability. VIVAJO delivers some of the best solutions for the real estate industry. These solutions
allow the generation of 2d and 3d floor plans, interior views of properties that can be bought or rented, exterior views, video animations, 360-degree virtual tours or space exploration of properties using virtual reality.
VIVAJO's new employees can work either in a hybrid system or in the company's offices. To stimulate the creativity of those who have chosen VIVAJO, the company's management has invested in spacious and bright offices, machines that produce quality coffee and environmentally friendly solutions. Such as electric scooters, which offer an eco-friendly solution for commuting to the office.
Cluj has consolidated its position as the most important centre of the Romanian IT industry in recent years. But the IT community is on the verge of a profound transformation: to focus less on outsourcing and more on its own, high value-added applications.
One of Cluj most important Transylvanian companies in the field of railway and road infrastructure is Electro Energetica. Together with LS ELECTRO, Electro Energetica is one of the most performing groups of companies located in Cluj.
Axon Soft has managed to go down this road and is now a success story. The company from Cluj has developed products used in various economic fields for its clients, two of which have been rated among the top 10 applications in the world's top industry rankings, and is now expanding internationally. This expansion is a consequence of the growing interest in the IT solutions developed by Axon Soft team members.
The Cluj-based technology company was founded in 1998 by shareholder Anca Vescan. The company's beginnings were marked by a strategic decision. While other IT companies in Romania were content to be suppliers through outsourcing companies, Axon Soft turned to producing software for Romanian banks. The high quality of the solutions delivered by Axon Soft gave the team the confidence to tackle, together with its international partners, increasingly complex projects.
are used by the Axon Soft team in the projects developed by the computer scientists working for the company. As a result, the quality of the training of the Technical University's students increases. After graduation, those who choose to pursue a career with Axon Soft integrate more easily and quickly into the team. This has created a win-win situation. The management of the Cluj-based company is willing to expand this type of partnership with other universities in this part of Europe.
www.axonsoft.ro
126, 21 Decembrie 1989 Blvd Cluj-Napoca
Tel : +40 786 222 075
Email: office@axonsoft.ro
Axon Soft has developed a long-standing partnership with the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca. Through this partnership, teachers and researchers at the university receive access to the latest technologies on the world market, as these technologies
The company wants to attract new technology specialists who are motivated to perform in a dynamic company that values the qualities of its team members. "We have a very high retention of our colleagues. We make sure that they feel comfortable in the Axon Soft team and that they participate in projects that bring them professional as well as material satisfaction. Thus, our colleagues are highly motivated and very involved in the life of the company," says Mihai Vescan, the company's other shareholder. Currently, the company is hiring specialists such as Angular Developer, QA Engineer, full-stack JAVA developers, Java Developer, PHP Developer, Frontend Angular Developer or Backend Java Developer. "We are interested in attracting talent from all over the region, not just Romania. With our colleagues coming from other countries we will communicate mainly in English and we are convinced that they will integrate into the performance culture that we have developed within Axon Soft", says Mihai Vescan.
„The quality of the solutions delivered by us has been appreciated by international partners. In the past, one of the most important markets for Axon Soft was France, but recently there has been a steady increase in demand from other parts of the European market. The technological complexity of the projects we deliver has also increased. This means that we are expanding our team. We are looking for colleagues who have certain technological skills and who are able to communicate in Romanian and English. Because the European market is becoming increasingly important, knowledge of German and French is a big plus," says Anca Vescan, CEO of Axon Soft
The prestigious projects developed by Axon Soft contribute a lot to the professional satisfaction of the members of the technology company's team in Cluj. Such as a human resources management application that has entered the top 10 in the world. The application is developed in partnership with a French company and is already used by the largest French retail companies, as well as global courier and fast food companies.
Specifically, this IT product allows large companies to plan the various human resource uses such as: staffing needs and structure for different tasks, employee leave or temporary hires for peak periods of company activity etc.
The Axon Soft team also developed a recruitment application. It allows recruiters to choose the most suitable candidates and interact with them remotely. The app has been presented at world-class events such as CeBIT and the World Mobile Congress in Barcelona.
Another application developed by the Axon Soft team, with which their client has entered the Top 10 worldwide, concerns inventory management and logistics route
Now Axon Soft faces a new challenge. It's to internationalise the team that develops the apps that have taken the world by storm. A logical first step is to the Republic of Moldova, where there are definite technological skills and the language of communication and work culture are identical to those in Romania. But the Republic of Moldova will play a much more important role for Axon Soft in the future. Because most Moldovan IT people communicate very well in Russian and Ukrainian, they have the chance to become leaders of teams in the future, including talented IT people from all over the former USSR who want to participate in the development of interesting projects, as sociological studies show that members of IT communities in Eastern countries are among the most committed to democracy.
optimisation. This application is used by major transport companies in France and Belgium. Through a French partner, this application has also been used in major South American countries. "This project was a big challenge because roads on that continent are not as well mapped as in Europe, but we managed to complete this project," said Anca Vescan.
Moldova's economy is undergoing a historic transformation. Since Moldova became a candidate country for EU membership, investor interest in the country has increased considerably. Therefore, with the help of European pre-accession funds, which will soon become available, there is a prospect of rapid development of several industrial branches in Moldova, such as the production of household electrical appliances, the production of photovoltaic panels, the production of components for the automotive industry and the production of metal structures.
possible", says Aurelia Salicov, President of the Association of Industrial Parks of the Republic of Moldova.
tracom.md
MD 2004, str.Columna 170, Chișinău, Republic of Moldova
Tel.: +373 22 301 801
International relation office: info@tracom.md
This interest is stimulated by the fact that the Republic of Moldova is developing a network of industrial parks capable of making the transition to a third millennium industry. "Currently, in the country, we have 10 industrial parks. They provide the necessary infrastructure for optimal development for investors interested in Moldova. In the context of a foreseeable increase in the interest of investors from the European Union in these industrial parks, we are planning to expand the areas of these parks in the first place. Secondly, we want a more effective partnership with the educational environment in order to better prepare the workforce that new investors will need. We want the Republic of Moldova to be as well prepared as possible for the new opportunities offered by our European path. In the end, economic development, the provision of well-paid jobs and the focus on clean industries will also ensure higher revenues for the budget of the statute, which will have the prospect of further development of the educational system, but most importantly, they will contribute to the convergence between society in the Republic of Moldova and society in the European Union, so that our accession can take place as quickly and smoothly as
Aurelia Salicov runs the largest industrial park in Moldova. This is the Tracom Industrial Park, which covers 32 hectares in the heart of Chișinau. This industrial park is itself a proof of the rapid and radical transformation of a real economic ecosystem. In Soviet times, the industrial platform was a tractor factory. This factory went bankrupt after the collapse of the Soviet Union, when tractors made in the West, more reliable and cheaper than the old Soviet models, could be imported onto the Moldovan market. The public authorities decided to turn the industrial platform into an industrial park, organised along Western lines.
This decision was successful. First of all, the challenge was to fill the industrial park with new investments, so that they would prevent the old industrial platform from deteriorating and absorb part of the workforce made redundant after the closure of the old tractor factory. This objective has been successfully achieved, so that there are now no more vacant lots in the Tracom industrial park.
The second step was to generate economic projects capable of transforming Moldova's economic DNA. These are new industries capable of producing high added value and providing well-paid jobs. Their role is no longer to provide jobs for industrial workers, but to offer career
„We want the Republic of Moldova to be as well prepared as possible for the new opportunities offered by our European path. In the end, economic development, the provision of well-paid jobs and the focus on clean industries will also ensure higher revenues for the budget of the statute, which will have the prospect of further development of the educational system, but most importantly, they will contribute to the convergence between society in the Republic of Moldova and society in the European Union, so that our accession can take place as quickly and smoothly as possible", says Aurelia Salicov, President of the Association of Industrial Parks of the Republic of Moldova
prospects for young people well trained by Moldovan universities, so that they no longer have to leave home.
Thus, on the Tracom platform, printing houses using high-performance technologies and offering Europeanlevel quality have appeared, as well as investments aimed at the IT industry, such as Digital Park, a project developed by the largest private telecom group in the Republic of Moldova, StarNet. This step has also been successful, as demonstrated by the fact that units producing on the
In this context, Aurelia Salicov has developed a strategy for the future, supported by Moldova's Western partners, such as USAID or the Embassy of the Kingdom of Sweden, through projects such as Future Technlogies Activities. Tracom's management has two objectives: the expansion of the current park, by including new platforms capable of hosting serious investments, and the transformation of the current industrial park into a technological one. This means focusing on clean industries, diversifying energy sources and creating economic projects capable of harnessing Moldova's most valuable resource: the technological skills and creativity of young Moldovans. These objectives are also perfectly in line with Moldova's country objectives. The focus on clean industries supports the European Union's green
Tracom platform are able to perform in Western markets and achieve significant exports. The Digital Park case is also an example of success. The first phase of the project has now been completed. In the new office building that has become an architectural landmark for Chișinău, there is not a single square metre left to rent, and the contracts for closing are five years ahead. On the Tracom platform, Digital Park is preparing for phase two of the project, which will further boost the transformation of the local economy.
deal policy, and these efforts of the Republic of Moldova have not gone unnoticed in Brussels and other European capitals. The European Union is built on values and principles, and the fact that major economic actors in the Republic of Moldova, such as Tracom Industrial Park, share these values and principles has increased the confidence of Western partners and their willingness to support this path through concrete investments. Then, the creation of added value and the digital transformation of economic activities are in line with the strategy assumed by the European Commissioner in charge of digitisation, Mariya Gabriel. All these plans support and accelerate the transition of Moldova's economy towards a Western model, which implies economic prosperity, social justice, care for the environment and respect for high moral values.
Should you find yourself strolling through Chisinau one day, Digital Park will inevitably be part of your itinerary. Not without a vast greenspace and a recreational garden, Digital Park is nevertheless a different kind of park – the first of its kind in the Republic of Moldova. It was launched in 2019 and represents the first technological park hosted by the capital.
15 Mihai Viteazul St.
Chișinău, Republic of Moldova
Tel.: +3730 (69) 449449
Designed as a true ecosystem, it enables the tech-related businesses that reside in its offices to develop, grow and ultimately, thrive.
Currently, its beneficiaries are local and foreign IT companies spanning industries such as retail, legal, banking and finance, software, data science and creative animation.
Digital Park was seven years in the making. Yet it was a matter of months until the space was let at 100% capacity. In 2021 alone, the company received 340 residency requests, corroborating that demand for IT
infrastructure is high and encouraging the owners in their endeavours to develop the ecosystem further. Construction works on Block D are due to commence in 2023. The next building in the ecosystem will provide an additional 25,000 m2 of office spaces, conference rooms, commercial facilities, an educational centre, a gym and an indoor garden.
Digital Park does not draw the ‘digital’ like at its residents. Instead, it focuses on bringing
together the whole digital community through the events it hosts.
Its three conference rooms have seen everything from forums, hackathons, workshops and immersive experiences, while its outdoor spaces have welcomed festivals, concerts, movie screenings and team buildings. Finally, the rooftop has brought many projects and teams to new heights, literally and figuratively.The company prides itself in being the go-to place for many national and international stakeholders, including governmental and local administration figures.
Digital Park is a smart project, from architecture to engineering networks. For example, the expansive windows purposely face north to let natural light flood the spaces during wintertime.
Likewise, the façade was covered with ceramic tiles facing the south, keeping the buildings cool in the summer heat. All in all, it aims to be energy efficient in all its operations.
Poland is one of the success stories of European integration. Even if there are political differences between the Polish authorities in Warsaw and the European authorities in Brussels, from an economic point of view, more and more analysts are talking about a real Polish miracle that is inspiring other Central European countries.
One of the decisions that influenced the development of the Polish economy today was the 'shock therapy' decision, implemented immediately after the fall of communism. Poland decided to quickly implement reforms that were painful in the short term, but provided the basis for healthy economic growth. A second radical decision was to abandon the economic system built by the Soviet Union and rapidly reorient towards the West.
By 1996, already 70 percent of Poland's foreign trade was with Western European countries. This required Polish companies to produce at high quality standards and competitive prices. That's why in 2004, when Poland joined the European Union, the Polish economy was better prepared for integration into the common market than the economies of other countries in the region.
Accession to the European Union led to two phenomena. The first was the mass emigration of young Poles, who found better-paid jobs in countries such as the UK, then part of the EU, France and
Germany. Emigration led to a rapid fall in the unemployment rate, with a consequent reduction in social spending by the state, as well as an increase in remittances, i.e. money sent home by workers from abroad. The second phenomenon was the revival of the economy with the help of European funds. The Polish authorities decided to use these funds to modernise infrastructure and finance business development.
All this has led to the development and strengthening of the internal market, at a time when Poland has one of the largest populations in the region. Basically, Polish companies have maintained or regained their share of the domestic market, and have then been encouraged to expand in the region and then in the rest of the European Union, after investing heavily in upgrading and strengthening production flows. Polish companies have thus become European players in areas such as IT, transport, automotive and construction.
The resilience of the Polish economy became evident in the crisis that began in 2008. Poland was the only country in Europe that managed to avoid going into recession. Even though the pace of economic growth has slowed, Poland has continued to grow. Poland's economy has also recovered quickly from the coronavirus pandemic crisis.
More abundant economic resources have provided the authorities with the necessary funds to raise the quality of life. Poland offers its citizens and residents free access to the health care system for the insured, as well as free university education in Polish.
All these developments have led to a reversal of the migration phenomenon. Today, more Poles are returning to the country than leaving. This gives companies already in Poland the prospect of securing the workforce they need to grow. Poland has also been generous to Ukrainian refugees. Many Ukrainians were already working in Poland when the Russian invasion began, so integrating refugees into Polish society has been easier.
The generosity shown by the Poles has attracted the admiration of their partners in Western Europe and North America.
Economic development has given Poland an increasingly important international status. According to some measurements made by World Bank specialists, Poland's economy is among the top 20 in the world. And the prospects for the Polish economy are very good. If between 1989 and 2018, Poland's economy grew by 827 percent, in the future, the economic growth rate will exceed, on average, 3 percent per year.
What's more, there are even higher growth rates than the national average in areas such as software production, industrial production and transport. The pharmaceutical industry is also expected to perform very well.
Poland will also strengthen its international position, foreign policy experts predict. With the war in Ukraine, Poland has become one of the most important members of NATO and the European Union. Alongside strategic partners such as Romania and Croatia, Poland has also become a pillar of regional stability in regional groups such as Bucharest 9 and the Three Seas Initiative.
Poland has also become one of the most active supporters of Ukraine's accession to the European Union. This, together with its military support for Ukraine and its generosity towards Ukrainian refugees, gives Poland an important role in the future reconstruction of Ukraine, which will further strengthen the prospect of economic growth for the whole region.
The Polish Confederation of Catholic Entrepreneurs (PKKP) is an organization founded on the principles of canon law, and then registered in court also as a secular organization.It was established in 2010.
The Polish Confederation of Catholic Entrepreneurs is one of the organizations of the Polish monarchist community lead by the Spiska Confederation.
The main task of the PKKP is formation and training activities, these are meetings and lectures entitled: Formation of Catholic Business Elites. Meetings with entrepreneurs from countries neighbouring
with Poland are also organized: Germany, the Czech Republic, now contacts have also shifted in southern Europe to Romania and Moldova.
PKKP maintains close contacts with the Catholic Church, which is reflected in the annual Christmas and New Year meetings with the Archbishop Metropolitan of Wrocław, currently HE Archbishop Józef Kupny.
The Confederation of Catholic Entrepreneurs is the only organization of Catholic entrepreneurs in Poland, it cooperates with other Catholic organizations, such as the "Talent" entrepreneurs pastoral care.
One of the most respected and effective humanitarian organisations is the Maltese Relief Service. It is an organisation that fulfils the mission undertaken more than a millennium ago by the founders of the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St John of Jerusalem, Rhodes and Malta. It is the ancient Order of the Knights of St. John, founded in the Holy Land in 1050 and recognised as a religious order of knights by Pope Paschal II in 1113.
The first documentary evidence of the Joannites Knights on the territory of present-day Romania dates back to 2 June 1247, when the King of Hungary, Bela IV, issued a diploma establishing the territory granted as fief to this order, as well as its rights and privileges. The Knights did their duty to defend the territories inhabited by Christians, who were often attacked by invaders, but from the very beginning they also assumed a charitable mission. They opened the first hospital in what is now Romania in Oradea.
Diplomatic relations between the Order of Malta and Romania began in the interwar period, when they were established at legation level. In 1948, with the establishment of the communist regime, diplomatic relations between Romania and the Order of Malta ceased, without ever having been denounced. Some Romanian members of the Order ended up in Communist prisons. Others went into exile, where they formed an association of members of the Order or those decorated by the Order, which continued the history of the structures of the Sovereign Order of Malta created in the interwar period.
The fall of communism also meant the return of the Order to Romania. From the first hours of freedom, convoys of aid sent by the "Maltese" reached the towns where the repression of the 1989 Revolution
was most intense. Then, more than three decades ago, the Order of Malta Relief Organisation in Romania was founded in Cluj, which from the very beginning assumed the concrete application of the principles of Christian charity, in the spirit of the motto of the Order of Malta: "Keeping the faith and helping those in need”.
Today, the Order of Malta Relief Organisation in Romania has 17 branches and more than 1200 volunteers. The social and charitable programmes carried out by this service are manifold.
For almost three decades, the Maltese Kindergarten has been operating in Cluj for children with disabilities. Some of these children have recovered so well that they have gone on to finish university. Recently, this kindergarten was visited by His Royal Highness Prince Radu of Romania.
Another project is Meals on Wheels. Every day, about 100 people in Cluj receive a hot meal with the help of Maltese volunteers. And since the outbreak of war in Ukraine, The Order of Malta Relief Organisation in Romania volunteers have been on duty at the Sighetu Marmației, Satu Mare and Siret border crossings. Tens of thousands of refugees from Ukraine have received help from the volunteers, who continue to do their duty.
Buying a property is considered a safe investment, especially if it is situated in an area with high tourism, with a steady increase in social and professional facilities and opportunities. However, there are also uncertainties when going through a period of crisis. The good news is that investing in real estate in times of crisis is a good option for several reasons.
When there is inflation, the price of many products rises, but purchasing power falls. It's not the same to own a car that inevitably depreciates in value or to own land that increases in value the longer it goes on.
Many buildings hold their prices and, if they rise, they do so more slowly than consumer products.
Napoca Imobiliare offers some tips that could help you invest in times of crisis, in important real estate markets in the country, such as Cluj-Napoca, Oradea, Iasi, Bucharest or other large cities in the country, but also abroad, such as Greece and Spain, for example.
The most important factors to consider are area, price, if it can be sold quickly and rental return, regardless of the type of property, house, apartment or land. In addition to this, there are plenty of other criteria to take into account: the interior design of the apartment, its partitioning or even the facilities offered by the common areas.
that may exist, the payback time of the investment, in case of urgent sale etc. For long-term investments, we can extend our search area to areas bordering cities, as well as internationally.
Another factor to consider is whether the property is close to services, shopping centres, entertainment, public transport, tourist spots and with other amenities such as swimming pool, parks, security cameras.
One of the most important points is to have professional advice on property investment. You can get this from a specialist in the real estate industry. It is good to have a professional to advise and support you throughout the investment process so that it is a success.
napocaimobiliare.roThe purpose of the investment is extremely important. If the purchase is for residential purposes, it is important to be close to: schools, workplaces, supermarkets, etc. However, if the aim is to make a long-term investment, we must take into account the possibility of developing the area, the profitability, the possible passive income
It is very important to check all the details of the property you are going to invest in before you buy. Check that the developer or previous owner is selling on legal terms, based on a contract, so that both parties feel secure.Economics experts say that the best time to invest in property is when everyone is selling.
If you are looking for professional real estate brokerage services, Napoca Imobiliare is the company that manages to maintain the highest standards in this field by offering support to every client.
Choose to work with real estate specialists to make the wisest moves in this market!
One of the most prestigious organisations born in the heart of the Catholic Church has proven its strength and usefulness in recent years. The International Mauritian Academy developed in Italy, then expanded to Romania. Now this organisation is also expanding to the Republic of Moldova, with the aim of promoting charity in the spirit of Christian values.
The International Academy of Saint Mauritius is headquartered in Italy and is headed by Cardinal Francisco Monterisi, as Grand Prior, assisted by Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, as Prior for Italy. Duke Fabrizio Mechi, its Rector, provides the executive direction of this noble organisation with Catholic roots. In Romania, the International Mauritian Academy began its work with the help of the late Greek Catholic Bishop of ClujGherla, PS Florentin Crihălmeanu. Bishop Florentin Crihălmeanu was the Prior for Romania of this organization. In Romania, its executive activity is led by its prorector, Knight Camillo Torta. The Academy's board of directors in Romania includes such personalities as Senators Adrian Oros, former Minister of Agriculture, and Vasile Dîncu, current Romanian Minister of Defence, former Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Regional Development. Another important member is the Vice-President of the Cluj County Council, Vákár István. The academic environment is represented by the rector of the University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Cornel Cătoi, the president of the Senate of the University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ștefan Florian, or the dean of the Faculty of Economics and Business Management of Babeș-Bolyai University, Răzvan V. Mustață.
The Academy includes entrepreneurs such as Adela Logean and Sanda Torta, cultural figures such as historian Leonard Horvath, former president of the Administration of the National Cultural Fund, and diplomats such as Gabriel Bârtaș, Romania's former ambassador in Poland, Ethiopia and Thailand.
Members of the Academy have been involved in diplomatic actions. In 2018, on the centenary of the Union of Transylvania with the Kingdom of Romania, Cardinal Francisco Monterisi and Duke Fabrizio Mechi brought the blessing of the Holy Father Pope Francis to Cluj.
The Academy was involved in charitable actions, such as equipping hospitals in Turda and Năsăud with CT scanners and medical equipment. During the pandemic, members of the Academy distributed medical supplies. In the context of the crisis caused by the war in Ukraine, members of the Academy equipped refugee centres and contributed to dozens of humanitarian transports to Ukrainian localities such as Solotvyno or Beregovo.
Now, the St. Mauritius International Academy is expanding into Moldova, with the help of personalities such as Aurelia Salicov, president of the Association of Industrial Parks of Moldova, and entrepreneur Alexandru Machedon.
The St. Mauritius International Academy is involved in supporting Moldova through charitable actions. Another CT scanner and medical equipment will soon arrive in the Criuleni district. On the diplomatic front, together with the Royal Family of Romania, members of the Academy will support Moldova's accession to the European Union.
