Romanian MEP Gheorghe Cârciu explained to journalist Val Vâlcu why Romanian parishes abroad received the majority of funds provided by the Department for Romanians Abroad, which he led in recent years.
“The Church is the only entity that carries out all five types of eligible activities for funding: education, culture, spirituality, media, and civil society. So, the Church is the only association, so to speak, that covers all five programs,” said the former state secretary.
“That’s why the Church, compared to other types of associations, which only engage in one type of activity—either culture or media—received more funds overall.”
“I believe it is natural for this to be the case, and the state must be a partner with the Church, and the Church a partner of the state, for the benefit of Romanians wherever they may be. We have over a million Romanians outside the country’s borders,” Cârciu added.
In recent years, the Department for Romanians Abroad has allocated 470 million lei for 1,200 projects aimed at Romanians abroad, reconnected 13,000 Romanian children from the diaspora and historical communities with their homeland through the ARC Camps, and provided financial support to 15,000 students, teachers, and pupils in Ukraine.
Photo: Facebook / Gheorghe Cârciu
