The Council for the Issues of Romanian Abroad was established in 1995 directly subordinated to the Prime Minister and was the first structure for supporting the Romanian communities abroad.
In 1998, the Under – Secretariat of State for Romanians Abroad was established and in 1999 it was transformed into the Department for Relations with Romanians Abroad. In January 2001, it was renamed the Department for Romanians Abroad (DRA) – and was integrated within the Ministry of Public Information.
In 2003, the DRA has been transferred under the authority of the General Secretariat of the Government, and in March 2004, under the authority of the Chancellery of the Prime Minister.
Beginning with March 2005, the DRA activities and funds were ascribed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, institution which developed and implemented the state’s policy regarding the relations with Romanian communities outside the national borders through the Department for Relations with Romanians Abroad. As of December 29, 2009, according to the Government Emergency Ordinance no.115/2009 regarding the establishment of restructuring measures within the central public administration, the Department for Romanians Abroad was established as a structure with legal personality within the Government, under the coordination of the Prime Minister.
The Department for Romanians Abroad develops and implements the state’s policy towards the Romanian communities outside the borders, in accordance with the major objectives of Romania’s foreign policy and the Governing Program.
The national strategy regarding the relations with the Romanians abroad has as a fundamental principle the identification of appropriate solutions for the existing particular situations within the Romanian communities in the vicinity of the country and from the emigration.
The aim of all the programs developed by the Department for Romanians Abroad is that of preserving and affirming the ethnical, cultural, linguistic and religious identity of Romanians from the vicinity and emigration, according to the international standards on the matter, and strengthening the links between Romania and the Romanian communities abroad.
In this sense, the Department for Romanians Abroad promotes a proactive and empathic attitude in approaching the issue concerning the relation with the Romanians outside the country and delivers a coherent message towards the public opinion in Romania and in the states where there are Romanian communities.
Moreover, in order to improve the situation of Romanian ethnics in the country’s vicinity, the Department for Romanians Abroad conducts an open dialogue with the European institutions that have as mission the protection of national and ethnical minorities and with governmental bodies responsible for managing of national minorities issues in the neighbouring states and the Balkans. These measures have as goal assuring the Romanian ethnics first of all of their rights as a minority, which are sanctioned in European documents on the matter, and of those which derive from the application of the reciprocity principle.
Moreover, the Department for Romanians Abroad develops partnerships with all public institutions from Romania which have in their structure compartments assigned for the relations with Romanians abroad, so that the national strategy of action would be applied unitarily.
The transposition of the national strategy and of the governmental political programme into the direct dialogue with the Romanians abroad envisages the establishment of a partnership with Romanian organizations from the vicinity and emigration, co-operation designed to contribute to the prestige of the Romanian communities in their states of citizenship and to promote the Romanian cultural values at the level of the public opinion in the respective countries.
The Department for Romanians Abroad considers the Romanians from outside the national borders as an integrant part of the Romanian spirituality and encourages the establishment of an open dialogue with them. Hence, the objectives of the Department aim at strengthening the communication and partnerships with the Romanian/ Vlach/ Aromanian communities from the neighbouring countries and the Balkans, as well as with the Romanians from emigration and those originating from Romania.
The interest of Romania for the Romanian/Vlach/Aromanian communities from the neighbouring states and the Balkans is grounded on cultural and linguistic solidarity and affinity, being similar with the interest of the respective states for their minorities in our country and in full accordance with the provisions of the Council of Europe’s Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, the conclusions of the Venice Commission Report and the recommendations of the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities.
On these grounds, the bilateral talks between Romanian authorities and the authorities of the states of citizenship highlight the respect of European and international standards on the matter and the principle of reciprocity.
The Department for Romanians Abroad supports the efforts of Romanian/ Vlach/ Aromanian communities from the neighbouring countries and the Balkans which aim at preserving their ethnical, linguistic and religious identity, sustaining projects with an impact upon: the Romanian language, the Romanian education, mass media and the religious service in the mother tongue, the preservation and enrichment of the cultural Romanian heritage.
The Department’s policy regarding the relation with Romanians from emigration and those originating from Romania has as objective the multiplication of contacts between Romanian personalities or organizations from the Diaspora and the institutions of the Romanian state and the intensification of co-operation aimed at supporting the efforts of consolidation of the European Union membership of our country, the promotion of Romanian cultural values and the strengthening of bilateral relations between the states in which they live and Romania.
DRA informs the public opinion from Romania and from abroad regarding the actions undertaken by the Romanian state in order to support Romanians from everywhere.
In accordance with the governance objectives and the needs of Romanian communities, DRA has set its own targets for the financing programmes for 2010.
DRA plans to continue the endeavours designed to support the unrestrained affirmation of cultural and spiritual identity of Romanian communities abroad.
The new financing programmes established by the DRA for 2010 are:
1. Culture – „Constantin Brâncuşi”
2. Mass–media – „Mihai Eminescu”
3. Education – „Nicolae Iorga”
4. Spirituality and tradition – „Andrei Şaguna”
Legal framework
The Department for Romanians Abroad has been created as an institutional structure with legal personality, within the institutional framework of the Government, under the direct coordination of the Prime Minister through the Government Emergency Ordinance no. 115 from 29.12.2009 regarding the establishment of reorganisation measures within the local public administration. The DRA’s organisation and functioning is settled by the Government Decision no. 27 from 12.01.2010 regarding the organisation and functioning of the Department for Romanians Abroad with the following changes and additions.
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