PRESS RELEASE

European Union – closer to the Romanian village

The National Agency for Partnership between the Universities and the Social and Economic Environment, in partnership with the local authorities from Secăria and Valea Doftanei (Prahova County), launched on Thursday 24 March 2005 the project “The European Union – closer to the Romanian village”, implemented within the Phare Programme for micro-projects the Europe Fund 2004.

The project aims to provide better information for the people in the two villages about the underlying principles, values, institutions, general and agricultural policies of the European Union, as well as to raise public awareness of public from the rural areas on the benefits and costs of Romania’s accession to the European Union. The information campaign is intended to increase the transparency of the accession process by means of providing free access to information. The activities of the project are also meant to build up the skills for using the information and understanding the procedures for the design and implementation of European funded projects. On this occasion, two films “Jean Monnet – father of Europe” and “I and Europe” went on, the themes, the bibliography and the timetable of school competitions within the project were outlined and booklets for information were distributed to the people.

The two information centres will be open to the public as follows: on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10.00 to 12.00 and on Tuesday and Thursday from 14.00 to 16.00. The citizens from Secăria and Valea Doftanei can find information there about the European Union, consulting such materials as: Războiul îngheţatei cu zmeură (The war of the raspberry), 10 întrebări despre aderarea României la Uniunea Europeană (10 questions on Romania’s accession to the European Union), ABC-ul Uniunii Europene (The ABC of the European Union), Dezvoltarea prevederilor pentru conservarea naturii în România (Evolution of provisions related to the preservation of nature in Romania),  Probleme structurale ale agriculturii româneşti în perspectiva aderării la Uniunea Europeană (Structural problems confronting the Romanian agriculture in relation to the EU accession), Programe ale Uniunii Europene – Agricultura (European programmes – agriculture), Teme europene (Surse oficiale de informaţie şi ştiri în Uniunea Europeană, Extinderea spre est pe agenda Consiliului European, Libera circulaţie a forţei de muncă după aderare), (European topics – official information and news from the European Union, Enlargement to the East on the Council’s Agenda, Free movement of workers after accession).

The events marking the official opening of the project enjoyed the participation of professor Sorin Eugen Zaharia, director of the National Agency for Partnership between the Universities and the Social and Economic Environment, professor Nicolae Cursaru deputy prefect of Prahova county, Ioniţă Toma general secretary of Prahova Prefect House, Valeriu Neagu representative from the Integration Department of the Prahova County Council and the Ploieşti Information Centre,  Iulian Popa the mayor of  Secăria, Gheorghe Mosor, the mayor of Valea Doftanei, members of the local counties, teachers and pupils from the Agricultural and Mountain School Group and from the two elementary schools, as well as the inhabitants of the two villages, the main beneficiaries of the project.

For further information, you may contact the National Agency for Partnership between the Universities and the Social and Economic Environment, B-dul Schitu Măgureanu, no. 1, sector 5, Bucharest, tel.: 021.313.00.53, www.apart.ro, email: office@apart.ro . Project coordinator – professor doctor and engineer Sorin Eugen ZAHARIA.

PRESS OFFICE