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6.4 Romania’s Image in the United Kingdom
Diplomatic relations between Romania and United Kingdom go back 133 years.
Traditional diplomacy between these two countries has not suffered any major setbacks.
Diplomatic relations between Romania and United Kingdom were established on the 20th of February 1880, two years after the 1877- 1878 Independence War against the Ottoman Port.9
The point of this paper is to look at challenges posed to public diplomacy and United Kingdom in recent years presented the most challenging environment for Romania’s public diplomacy due to negative news about the country in the local media.
6.4.1 Challenges
6.4.1.1 U.K.’s Perception of Romania in Relation to Immigration and Food Safety 6.4.1.1.1 Immigration
For a while now there have been discussions on the topic of immigration. As immigrants have become the focus of insecurities brought about national and global changes, we can see how the British public seems to think that foreigners, including Romanians, come here to either take advantage of the welfare system and live on benefits or to take the jobs of the locals. There is even an online petition to stop mass immigration from Romanians when the restrictions are meant to be dropped in 2014.
In the beginning of 2013 The Guardian reported on how ministers were considering launching negative advertising campaigns in Romania trying to convince them that Britain’s streets are not “paved with gold” to keep potential immigrants away.
“Please don’t come to Britain – it rains and the jobs are scarce and low-paid”. Romania is aware of the image that is being portrayed of them and in response has launched different advertisement campaigns about the positives of the country. Through its embassies, Ministry of Foreign Affairs carried out the project “RO20: Romania 1989-2009” with the objective to impart
9 Embassy of Romania to the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, “Brief History,” accessed June 12, 2013, london.mae.ro/en/node/393
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the positive developments over the years. A campaign called “Why I love Romania” was launched around the world in 2011 to improve Romania’s image abroad.10
A new survey for the Royal Statistical Society and King's College London shows public opinion is repeatedly off the mark on issues including crime, benefit fraud and immigration.
Some 31 per cent of the population is thought to consist of recent immigrants, when the figure is actually 13 per cent. Even including illegal immigrants, the figure is only about 15 per cent. On the issue of ethnicity, black and Asian people are thought to make up 30 per cent of the population, when the figure is closer to 11 per cent.11
6.4.1.1.2 Food Safety
Findus UK took its frozen beef lasagne, made by Comigel, off the shelves after some were found to have up to 100% horsemeat in them.
Romania's president, Traian Basescu, said if false labelling had been carried out with the intention of making money that would discredit the country for a long time and raise the risk of export restrictions.12
6.4.1.1.3 Gypsies and Human Trafficking
Also there are other negative associations that the British public attributes to Romania meaning gypsies and human trafficking. In order to take away the attention on these subjects there were several campaigns to promote a positive image after 2007.
10 Public Diplomacy and Global Communication blog, “Changing Romania’s Negative Public Image,”
London Metropolitan University, May 16, 2013, accessed June 4, 2013,
http://pdgc2012b.wordpress.com/2013/05/16/changing-romanias-negative-public-image/
11 Jonathan Paige, “British Public Wrong about Nearly Everything, Survey Shows,” The Independent, July 9, 2013, accessed July 15, 2013,
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/british-public-wrong-about-nearly-everything-survey-shows-8697821.html#disqus_thread
12 BBC Publication, “Horsemeat Scandal: Focus Switches to Romania,”BBC News, February 10, 2013, accessed May 6, 2013,
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21401111
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Strategies up to 2020"13 was created alongside agreements between France and Romania on the minority issue. Not a lot has been done and there have not been developed agreements between Romania and Great Britain on this issue.6.4.2 Positive News Coverage 6.4.2.1.1 BBC Travel on Bucharest
In July 2013 the article “Bucharest’s new Old City” presents aspects about Romania, in this case positive changes made in the capital, in an informative and not bias way.
Renovating the Old City was no easy feat, taking nearly a decade of agonizing stop-start work during which cranes and bulldozers were idled for years at a time. The city and construction companies squabbled over both money and corruption allegations, as well as how to resettle the area’s poorer residents, including many Roma families. Between 2007 and 2011, the Old City was effectively a no-go zone, with minimal street lighting and gaping holes in the pavements, papered over by rickety plywood bridges.
Stroll along the quarter’s narrow lanes on a warm summer evening now, however, and those old days seem far away. While many of the buildings are still in a perilous state awaiting suitors with deep pockets and big dreams, the streets are pleasantly cobbled and lined with quirky art and antique shops, bookstores, theatres, and block after block of cafes, bars and clubs.
Indeed, the Old City appears to have succeeded beyond anyone’s expectations.14Also when the media frenzy about immigration erupted in the U.K. again BBC Travel published a series of photos under the title “Transylvania’s medieval tradition”.15
13 The European Commission, "EU Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies up to 2020," 2011, accessed March 20, 2013,
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:52012DC0226:en:NOT
14 Mark Baker, “Bucharest’s New Old City,” BBC Travel, July 12, 2013, accessed July 20, 2013, http://www.bbc.com/travel/feature/20130712-bucharests-new-old-city
15 BBC Publication, “Transylvania’s Medieval Tradition,” BBC Travel, January 16, 2013, accessed February 20, 2013,
http://www.bbc.com/travel/slideshow/20130116-transylvanias-medieval-tradition
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6.4.2.1.2 Prince Charles and TransylvaniaThe international press considers Prince Charles an outspoken advocate of Romania, who already has two properties in the Valea Zalanului village, Covasna County, including a century-old house which he completely renovated. During his private visits to Romania prince Charles is a guest of Baron Kalnoky Tibor at his manor of Miclosoara, built in the 16th century.
In order to help Transylvania inhabitants to preserve their historical monuments, Prince Charles has been involved in the rehabilitation of several Saxon villages from twelfth century, some of which included in the UNESCO heritage.
Prince Charles appears in “Wild Carpathia,” a documentary released in 2011 presenting some of the most beautiful landscapes of the Carpathian Mountains. This documentary describes Transylvania as a mythical and legendary place, where wild animals such as wolves, bears or lynx transform the Romanian Carpathians area into the last great wilderness in Europe.16
Charles described the area around the Carpathian Mountains in Transylvania as "the last corner of Europe where you can see true sustainability and complete resilience and the maintenance of entire ecosystems for the benefit of mankind but also for nature". Documentary available in the United Kingdom on the Travel Channel.17
But while he stays out of local politics, Charles' professed love for Transylvania and his claims to be related to Vlad the Impaler, the bloodthirsty Romanian prince who inspired Bram Stoker's 19th century Dracula novel, have clearly boosted tourism and interest in the area. The fabled town of Sighisoara, where Vlad was born, is 15 kilometers (9 miles) from Saschiz.18
16 Oana Vasiliu, “Prince Charles to Promote Transylvania in Documentary Film,” Business Review, July 9, 2012, accessed June 20, 2013,
http://business-review.eu/lifestyle/travel/prince-charles-to-promote-transylvania-in-documentary-film/
17 The Independent Publication, “Prince Charles: I Have a Stake in Transylvania's Future,” The Independent, October 27, 2011, accessed May 10, 2013,
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/news/prince-charles-i-have-a-stake-in-transylvanias-future-2376584.html
18 Alison Mutler, “Why Prince Charles' Loves Transylvania,” The Huffington Post, July 5, 2012, accessed March 11, 2013,
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/05/transylvania-prince-charles-visit_n_1648979.html
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Graham Perolls, Romania’s Hospices of Hope founder was awarded in 2013 with the order of the British Empire OBE by the Queen. He is the founder of the first charity dedicated to improving the quality of life for terminally ill children and adults in Romania, Hospice Casa Sperantei.19
These can all be consider to be valuable ambassadors when presenting the country to the British audience but have not yet been used in such a manner.