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Kivu, Mircea
5 articles of this author have been cited in the European Press Review so far.
Romanian villages becoming old age homes
In the 20th century Romanians traditionally moved from the country to the city. But the reverse trend has been observed for roughly a decade, writes the daily România Liberă, although exclusively among pensioners: "It's not hard to see why the elderly are moving back - it's still possible to live on pensions in the country where costs are lower and you can possibly grow your own vegetables in your garden. This is what sets the trend. Rural populations aren't aging because young people are leaving, but because old people are coming back. ... The Romanian villages are becoming old age homes. But under such conditions the possibility of modernising the villages is slowly dwindling. The problem is no longer how to keep young people in rural areas, but how to ensure a good life for the 56 percent of Romanian pensioners now living in the country."
» full article (external link, Romanian)
More from the press review on the subject » Migration, » Demographics, » Romania
Romanian Securitate review agency may no longer pass judgement
The Romanian goverment has issued an emergency decree allowing the agency in charge of the secret service (Securitate) files to continue its work. In the future, however, the agency will only publish the files and it will be left up to the courts to decide whether someone acted as an informer. Mircea Kivu comments: "The agency was created to tell the public which holders of and candidates for public office worked as informers for the Securitate. Now the agency no longer has a right to say who was an informer and who wasn't. ... If we have to wait for the courts to decide how extensive collaboration with the Securitate was then this is doubly absurd. Not only will wolves sit in judgement over the sheep, but the process will take just as long as the trials for corruption. Because any outcome will be put off until after the elections."
» full article (external link, Romanian)
More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » History, » Romania
Snow chaos in Bucharest
Recent days have seen heavy snowfall, leaving Bucharest in traffic chaos; the city administration did not clear the snow. Mircea Kivu writes: "Unfortunately, it became clear quite quickly that the bewitchingly snow-covered city also had to function. But it didn't. Aircraft remained grounded, no one cleared the snow. The mayor cynically explained that the snow could not be removed because no one felt it was their responsibility. And besides that, no one knew what to do with the snow. While the city services argue endlessly, the citizen was left in the lurch, with a shovel in his hand."
» full article (external link, Romanian)
More from the press review on the subject » Public Culture, » Romania
The expulsion of criminal Romanian Roma from Italy
According to Mircea Kivu, "the statistics are depressing: two-thirds of Italy's sentenced criminals are Romanians. For its part, the Romanian press is making a point of stressing that the perpetrator of the crime in Italy was a Roma [not a Romanian]. This looks like a lame excuse. Emigration generally points to lacking integration in one's own society. ... Shocking amounts have been spent on the integration of the Roma. Since 2001 the government has even had a specific strategy for dealing with this problem, but up to now the results are barely visible. The attempt to wash our hands of the business by pointing out that the perpetrators could be Roma points to a problematic understanding of the term 'citizenship', as well as deplorable irresponsibility. Ultimately, Romanian society as a whole is to blame for the great chaos in Roma communities."
» full article (external link, Romanian)
More from the press review on the subject » Migration, » Integration, » Minorities, » Crime and Law, » Italy, » Romania
Pilgrimages in the media age
Last week hundreds of thousands of pilgrims, celebrities and politicians gathered in the Cathedral of Iasi to commemorate Saint Parascheva, whose mortal remains are said to rest there. Mircea Kivu criticises the live coverage of the pilgrimage: "Religious ceremonies lose their sacred character through excessive media coverage; they become increasingly profane. People use the opportunity to take photos of themselves with celebrities and then hang the photos next to the icons. ... Without doubt, among the hundreds of thousands of pilgrims there are those who revere church relics like the remains of Saint Parascheva in the middle of the night with genuine humility. But it's becoming increasingly common to hear pilgrims talk before a live camera of their hopes that God will repay their efforts by healing their illnesses or relieving their poverty. ... People no longer pray - they demand."
» full article (external link, Romanian)
More from the press review on the subject » Religion, » Romania
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