EU unleashed II

EU will consign Romanian traditions to history

«(...) They have been informed in writing by the local mayor that when Romania joins the EU such practices will have to stop. They will be required to kill their pigs more humanely by electrocution, shooting or tranquillisers, watched over by a local inspector. The residents of the village of Vidra, 12 miles south of Bucharest, are not happy about the regulation. Neither are they pleased about a raft of others which will revolutionise the lives and traditions of the self-sufficient millions who earn their living from the land.

"I thought when we joined the EU we'd get lots of benefits and freedom," said Mr Margarit, 40, a railway worker. "But what does freedom mean if I can't slaughter my own pig in my back yard?" He also cited the taxes which are to be placed on those who produce their own plum brandy with a volume of more than 50 per cent (most producers), and the rule which will mean corpses will no longer be allowed to be kept at home for three days after death, as is the custom, but will have to be moved to the local church. Vegetables will have to be packaged before they can be sold from farms. Shepherds will no longer be able to sell their sheep-stomach wrapped cheeses by the roadside. (...)

"I can understand the advantages of certain of these regulations, like the hygiene aspect," said Mrs Margarit, 38, a nurse. "But as state workers with a joint [monthly] income of £536, we cannot afford the extra expense these rules will cost us, and we're worried about losing our identity as we join this huge club."

Ion Dimitru, a vegetable grower, said: "We were suppressed under pressure in communist times now we're being suppressed again, just when we thought we were free." In the months prior to Romania joining the EU, consumers have seen living costs rise, while wages have not kept pace. It is as yet hard for ordinary people to see what advantages joining will bring. (...)

(via Open Europe)