2019/Romania Group about Entrepreneurship and Migration
Aktualisiert: 6. März 2020
Interview of Andreea Alexandru from the Romanian Group after the Training Course in Berlin "The2Problems" 2019
According to your opinion, which role does enterpreneurship play in the integration of Migrants?
Entrepreneurship plays an important role in every country’s economy, moreover in the process of integration of migrants. A migrant becoming an entrepreneur and running his/ her own business, even small, is an independent person, self-employed and becomes more and more motivated to earn a good living for his/ her family. In most cases, he brings a piece of his culture and traditions from his home country to the new one and integrates his background in the new neighbourhood and this makes him happy. More than that, a migrant entrepreneur can help other migrants while creating new jobs and opportunities for his/ her fellows. Thus, they form small communities and make their business and their income grow. And I guess that every modern society wants and needs independent, happy, involved and motivated people.
Which entrepreneurial opportunities do migrants and refugees have in your country?
First, there aren’t many refugees in Romania (only those who transit) and second, although the government has start-up programmes, it hasn’t got a good and clear campagne- the documentation and the application are very difficult. So, unfortunatelly, becoming an entrepreneur in Romania is not so easy. Although the people seem open to new things, to other cultures and people from other countries, I cannot see many opportunities for migrants and refugies in Romania, especially as entrepreneurs. Our youngsters go abroad to study and work and the Romanian entrepreneurs have no longer labor force to hire here and we have already started to employ cheaper labor force from China, The Philippines and Vietnam.
What can we do to foster the integration of refugees and migrants?
It is a difficult question. Romanian migrants are integrating quite well everywhere they go. I am sure that the integration process always depends on how much you wish to integrate yourself in the new country and on what extent you make the most of your new country. Each integrating country can offer only some opportunities. Then, it is up to the migrants and refugees to take the chance and work hard for what they want. We can only open our ams, hearts and minds in order to accept each other…