Latest news with #Moldovans
Euronews
4 days ago
- Politics
- Euronews
How has immigration enforcement in the EU evolved over the past year?
There was a decrease of 27.4% in the number of citizens found to be illegally present in EU countries in 2024, according to the latest Eurostat figures. Germany, France and Italy together represented more than half of all third-country nationals found to be illegally present in the EU last year. Close to 57% of refusals happened at land crossings, largely on the Polish, Croatian and Romanian frontiers. Air borders handled 39.8% of rejected travellers, with France alone turning back 7,800 people. Meanwhile, only 3.4% of total refusals were at sea borders. Italy reported the highest numbers of refusals at the EU sea borders, followed by France. The largest number of people refused entry into the EU in 2024 was recorded for Ukrainians, Albanians and Moldovans. Ukrainian citizens who were refused entry into the EU mainly attempted to cross the land borders with Poland and Romania. These individuals did not benefit from temporary protection. Most Albanian citizens were refused entry at the Greek, Croatian, Hungarian and Lithuanian land borders, or the Italian air and sea borders. Meanwhile, most Moldovans were refused entry at the Romanian, Polish and Latvian land borders. Almost 50% of the refusals of entry were explained by not-justified purpose or conditions of the stay and absence of a valid visa or residence permit. The number of third-country nationals returned increased by 19.3% compared to the previous year. Georgian citizens were subject to the highest number of returns in the EU, with 11,585 of them returned to a third country. They were followed by Turks (7,910), Albanians (7,810) and Moldovans (4,970). 53.8% of returns to third countries were voluntary, while 46.2% were forced. In Denmark, Lithuania, Latvia and Czechia, more than 90% of third-country nationals returned voluntarily. Only Italy reported all returns as forced returns.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ethnic Hungarian, Moldovan voters saved Romania's democracy
Last week, just before midnight on Sunday, an important piece of news spread quickly around the world: The hard-right candidate George Simion has been defeated, democracy in Romania is safe, and the liberal, pro-European mayor of Bucharest, Nicusor Dan, will be the next president of Romania. Another-important piece of news followed, which came as a surprise to many Romanian observers but was not as widely reported internationally: Romania's ethnic Hungarians and Moldovan citizens who also hold Romanian passports voted in record numbers for Nicusor Dan, making a decisive contribution to his victory. Conservative estimates say that over 500,000 — perhaps even over 700,000 — of these voters voted for Dan, which would account for a large proportion of his 830,000-vote lead over his opponent. In short, without the votes of these two groups, Dan could have lost the election. Ethnic Hungarians in Romania? Moldovans with dual citizenship? For those who do not know Romania well, this might sound like a niche issue to be discussed by election buffs. This probably explains why it received little international attention on the evening of the election. The fact is, however, that both groups play an important role not only in domestic politics in Romania, but also, by extension, in Europe. Hungarians have been a national minority in Romania since the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire after World War I, when Transylvania and other regions became part of Romania. There are currently around one million ethnic Hungarians in Romania, which accounts for about 5.5% of the total population. Most of these ethnic Hungarian Romanians support Viktor Orban, the autocratic prime minister of neighboring Hungary. Just a week before the second round of Romania's presidential election, Orban gave his backing to hard-right candidate George Simion, even though Simion has an explicitly anti-Hungarian stance and was in the news several years ago for violent actions that targeted the Hungarian minority. Orban likes to portray himself as the protector of all ethnic Hungarians outside Hungary. Nevertheless, from his perspective, backing Simion in Romania's presidential election was logical and of a higher priority because a Simion victory would have strengthened the "sovereignist" camp — in other words, the autocratic, pro-Russian, anti-EU camp — in Europe. For Romania's ethnic Hungarians, however, following Orban's lead and backing Simion was not an option. It would have meant voting for a politician with deep-seated anti-minority attitudes and, ultimately, against themselves. So, they didn't. This became clear on Sunday evening, when Romania's central electoral commission, the BEC, published the figures for each district (judet). Nicusor Dan received about 53.6% of the total vote, about 830,000 votes more than George Simion. The vote for Dan in all districts with a larger ethnic Hungarian population was massive. Although there are no exact statistics on ethnic voting patterns, experts like the Transylvanian Hungarian sociologist Nandor Magyari estimate that Dan got between 550,000 and 600,000 votes from Romania's Hungarian minority. "In this way, Romanian Hungarians voted for the preservation of liberal democracy and the continuation of Romania's Euro-Atlantic path," Magyari told DW. Some fascinating records were broken in Sunday's election: In the Romanian district of Harghita, where 85% of residents are ethnic Hungarian, an incredible 91% voted for Nicusor Dan, his best result in any Romanian district. Many Moldovans hold dual Moldovan–Romanian citizenship and are entitled to vote in elections in Romania. These voters also voted for Dan in record numbers. The president-elect received about 135,000 votes in Moldova — some 88% of all votes cast there. Most of what is now the Republic of Moldova and the Romanian region known as Moldavia were once both part of the Principality of Moldavia. Three-quarters of the people in the Republic of Moldova are Romanian-speakers, and the country is occasionally referred to as the "second Romanian state." Of the country's 2.45 million inhabitants, 640,000 hold dual Moldovan–Romanian citizenship. Many of this group live in western European countries and it is likely that they voted in large numbers for Nicusor Dan there, too. The reason for this is that Dan's opponent, George Simion, is in favor of the reunification of Moldova and Romania and the creation of a "Greater Romania" — an idea that is not very popular in Moldova. Simion has been barred from entering Moldova since 2014. What's more, Simion adopts a paternalistic tone towards Moldovans, which does not go down well with most of them. The Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR), the party of Romania's Hungarian minority, has been part of almost every ruling coalition in Romania since 1996 and played a decisive role in fostering reconciliation between the two historical archenemies, Romania and Hungary. Orban has, however, in recent years instrumentalized ethnic Hungarians abroad — especially those in Romania — to his own ends. Over 90% of those with dual Romanian–Hungarian citizenship voted for him and his Fidesz party in recent elections. Indeed, up until last week, the UDMR had almost degenerated into a branch of Orban's party. Then came a major change: The UDMR and its chairman, Hunor Kelemen, and the leadership of the Hungarian Churches in Romania all unequivocally opposed Orban's recommendation to vote for Simion. "Orban made a mistake," Transylvanian-Hungarian lawyer and former UDMR politician Peter Eckstein-Kovacs told DW. "He believed that the Hungarians of Transylvania would swallow anything — even his international political nonsense — but he was wrong." Nevertheless, Eckstein-Kovacs does not see a rupture between the UDMR and Fidesz. "It is a crack in the relationship, not a rupture." Sociologist Nandor Magyari also believes that "overall, Hungarians in Romania will continue to be big supporters of Orban." The Republic of Moldova is, after Ukraine, the country most affected by Russian aggression. The Moldovan region of Transnistria is governed by a separatist, pro-Moscow regime. In addition, Russia has for decades been using energy supplies as a means of exerting pressure on Moldova. In the interests of its own security and for other reasons, Romania has long been helping neighboring Moldova to loosen its economic ties with Russia and to counter Russian influence there. Sometimes, however, the support is sluggish. Unlike his predecessor Klaus Iohannis, President-elect Nicusor Dan is interested in the Republic of Moldova and its welfare. In his victory speech in the early hours of Monday, Dan expressly thanked those in Moldova who had voted for him. Although he forgot to mention the ethnic Hungarians at the time, he did so in a television interview and a telephone call with the UDMR leader the next day. This article was originally published in German.
DW
23-05-2025
- Politics
- DW
Ethnic Hungarian, Moldovan voters saved Romania's democracy – DW – 05/23/2025
Without the votes of Romania's ethnic Hungarians and Moldovans with dual Moldovan–Romanian citizenship, Nicusor Dan might not have been elected president of Romania — an important outcome for both Romania and Europe. Just before midnight on Sunday, the most important piece of news spread quickly around the world: The hard-right candidate George Simion has been defeated, democracy in Romania is safe, and the liberal, pro-European mayor of Bucharest, Nicusor Dan, will be the next president of Romania. The second most-important piece of news came as a surprise to many Romanian observers but was not as widely reported at international level: Romania's ethnic Hungarians and Moldovan citizens who also hold Romanian passports voted in record numbers for Nicusor Dan, making a decisive contribution to his victory. Conservative estimates say that over 500,000 — perhaps even over 700,000 — of these voters voted for Dan, which would account for a large proportion of his 830,000-vote lead over his opponent. In short, without the votes of these two groups, Dan could have lost the election. Why do the Hungarian and Moldovan votes matter? Ethnic Hungarians in Romania? Moldovans with dual citizenship? For those who do not know Romania well, this might sound like a niche issue to be discussed by election buffs. This probably explains why it received little international attention on the evening of the election. Independent candidate and mayor of Bucharest Nicusor Dan won Sunday's presidential election in Romania Image: Cristian Ștefănescu/DW The fact is, however, that both groups play an important role not only in domestic politics in Romania, but also, by extension, in Europe. Hungarian PM backed anti-Hungarian candidate Hungarians have been a national minority in Romania since the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire after World War I, when Transylvania and other regions became part of Romania. There are currently around one million ethnic Hungarians in Romania, which accounts for about 5.5% of the total population. Most of these ethnic Hungarian Romanians support Viktor Orban, the autocratic prime minister of neighboring Hungary. Just a week before the second round of Romania's presidential election, Orban gave his backing to hard-right candidate George Simion, even though Simion has an explicitly anti-Hungarian stance and was in the news several years ago for violent actions that targeted the Hungarian minority. Orban likes to portray himself as the protector of all ethnic Hungarians outside Hungary. Nevertheless, from his perspective, backing Simion in Romania's presidential election was logical and of a higher priority because a Simion victory would have strengthened the "sovereignist" camp — in other words, the autocratic, pro-Russian, anti-EU camp — in Europe. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban during his annual address to Romania's Hungarian minority in July 2024 Image: Alexandru Dobre/AP Photo/picture alliance For Romania's ethnic Hungarians, however, following Orban's lead and backing Simion was not an option. It would have meant voting for a politician with deep-seated anti-minority attitudes and, ultimately, against themselves. So, they didn't. Outstanding result for Nicusor Dan This became clear on Sunday evening, when Romania's central electoral commission, the BEC, published the figures for each district (judet). Nicusor Dan received about 53.6% of the total vote, about 830,000 votes more than George Simion. The vote for Dan in all districts with a larger ethnic Hungarian population was massive. Although there are no exact statistics on ethnic voting patterns, experts like the Transylvanian Hungarian sociologist Nandor Magyari estimate that Dan got between 550,000 and 600,000 votes from Romania's Hungarian minority. "In this way, Romanian Hungarians voted for the preservation of liberal democracy and the continuation of Romania's Euro-Atlantic path," Magyari told DW. Some fascinating records were broken in Sunday's election: In the Romanian district of Harghita, where 85% of residents are ethnic Hungarian, an incredible 91% voted for Nicusor Dan, his best result in any Romanian district. Idea of reunification not popular in Moldova Many Moldovans hold dual Moldovan–Romanian citizenship and are entitled to vote in elections in Romania. These voters also voted for Dan in record numbers. The president-elect received about 135,000 votes in Moldova — some 88% of all votes cast there. Most of what is now the Republic of Moldova and the Romanian region known as Moldavia were once both part of the Principality of Moldavia. Three-quarters of the people in the Republic of Moldova are Romanian-speakers, and the country is occasionally referred to as the "second Romanian state." Why Moldovans backed a pro-EU candidate in Romania election To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Of the country's 2.45 million inhabitants, 640,000 hold dual Moldovan–Romanian citizenship. Many of this group live in western European countries and it is likely that they voted in large numbers for Nicusor Dan there, too. The reason for this is that Dan's opponent, George Simion, is in favor of the reunification of Moldova and Romania and the creation of a "Greater Romania" — an idea that is not very popular in Moldova. Simion has been barred from entering Moldova since 2014. What's more, Simion adopts a paternalistic tone towards Moldovans, which does not go down well with most of them. Orban and Romania's Hungarian minority The Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR), the party of Romania's Hungarian minority, has been part of almost every ruling coalition in Romania since 1996 and played a decisive role in fostering reconciliation between the two historical archenemies, Romania and Hungary. Orban has, however, in recent years instrumentalized ethnic Hungarians abroad — especially those in Romania — to his own ends. Over 90% of those with dual Romanian–Hungarian citizenship voted for him and his Fidesz party in recent elections. Indeed, up until last week, the UDMR had almost degenerated into a branch of Orban's party. Then came a major change: The UDMR and its chairman, Hunor Kelemen, and the leadership of the Hungarian Churches in Romania all unequivocally opposed Orban's recommendation to vote for Simion. "Orban made a mistake," Transylvanian-Hungarian lawyer and former UDMR politician Peter Eckstein-Kovacs told DW. "He believed that the Hungarians of Transylvania would swallow anything — even his international political nonsense — but he was wrong." Romania's President-elect Nicusor Dan Image: Cristan Ștefănescu/DW Nevertheless, Eckstein-Kovacs does not see a rupture between the UDMR and Fidesz. "It is a crack in the relationship, not a rupture." Sociologist Nandor Magyari also believes that "overall, Hungarians in Romania will continue to be big supporters of Orban." Romania–Moldova ties The Republic of Moldova is, after Ukraine, the country most affected by Russian aggression. The Moldovan region of Transnistria is governed by a separatist, pro-Moscow regime. In addition, Russia has for decades been using energy supplies as a means of exerting pressure on Moldova. In the interests of its own security and for other reasons, Romania has long been helping neighboring Moldova to loosen its economic ties with Russia and to counter Russian influence there. Sometimes, however, the support is sluggish. Unlike his predecessor Klaus Iohannis, President-elect Nicusor Dan is interested in the Republic of Moldova and its welfare. In his victory speech in the early hours of Monday, Dan expressly thanked those in Moldova who had voted for him. Although he forgot to mention the ethnic Hungarians at the time, he did so in a television interview and a telephone call with the UDMR leader the next day. This article was originally published in German.
DW
22-05-2025
- Politics
- DW
Why Moldovans backed a pro-EU candidate in Romania election – DW – 05/22/2025
Most Moldovan voters with Romanian citizenship voted for the pro-European candidate, Nicusor Dan, in Sunday's presidential election in Romania. DW explores why. For decades, Romania has channeled hundreds of millions of euros in financial aid into its neighbor, the Republic of Moldova. In the town of Ialoveni, for example, which is just 10 km (6 miles) south of the Moldovan capital, Chisinau, Romanian money is helping to restore a church and a stadium. A record 158,000 Moldovans who hold Romanian citizenship cast their votes in Romania's presidential election last Sunday. The polling station in Ialoveni was among the busiest nationwide, with the vast majority of voters here backing centrist, pro-European candidate Nicusor Dan, who went on to win the election. Political analysts in Chisinau say a victory for Dan's far-right opponent, George Simion, could have harmed relations between Moldova and Romania and threatened Moldova's pro-EU path. Moldovans are now hopeful that Romania's development projects in Moldova will continue under the new president.
DW
22-05-2025
- Politics
- DW
Moldovans massively backed winner of Romanian election – DW – 05/22/2025
The vast majority of Moldovan voters with Romanian citizenship voted for the pro-European candidate, Nicusor Dan, in Sunday's presidential election in Romania. DW explores why. For decades, Romania has channeled hundreds of millions of euros in financial aid into its neighbor, the Republic of Moldova. In the town of Ialoveni, for example, which is just 10 kilometers south of the Moldovan capital, Chisinau, Romanian money is helping to restore a church and a stadium. A record 158,000 Moldovans who hold Romanian citizenship cast their votes in Romania's presidential election last Sunday. The polling station in Ialoveni was among the busiest nationwide, with the vast majority of voters here backing centrist, pro-European candidate Nicusor Dan, who went on to win the election. Political analysts in Chisinau say a victory for Dan's far-right opponent, George Simion, could have harmed relations between Moldova and Romania and threatened Moldova's pro-European path. Moldovans are now hopeful that Romania's development projects in Moldova will continue under the new president.
