What Merkel and Cameron don't want you to know about Romania

It seems that Germany, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands (among other European countries) don't want Romania to join the Schengen area. Romania's bid was rejected by the Council of Ministres in September 2011 because of a lack of anti-corruption measures and the influx of illegal immigrants from Ukraine or Moldova. The British even considered launching a campaign in order to dissuade any potential Romanian workers from immigrating to their island, and the Germans were concerned that thousands of Sinti and Roma could take advantage of the German social insurance system.

I'm sure you still remember the meat adulteration scandal: foods that were supposed to contain beef were found to contain horsemeat. And yes: the horsemeat came from Romania, which motivated Germany's state television to broadcast a couple of documentaries about poor Romania. “Who wouldn't want to leave such an underdevelopped country?” many German spectactors may have wondered.

So why was Romania allowed to join the European Union in the first place if it's such a horrible place? Well, first of all: it's not horrible at all. If you've ever been to Bucharest, Brasov or Constanta you'll find that it's a modern and civilized European country, which is why Romania's tourism industryis groing steadily.

And Romania has potential – if you don't believe me, you might trust Nouriel Roubini. As a matter of fact, you'll find lots of Zara, Mango and H&M stores in Bucharest. More and more people drive foreign cars (expensive ones like Mercedes or BMW, and less expensive ones like Opel or Renault) – 20 million people is quite a big market. And it's also cheap to produce your products in Romania and to export them other European countries (no customs, no tolls...).

Many American companies (like HP or Oracle) decided to open their European headquarters in Bucharest. Why? Well, because 95% of young Romanians speak English and many speak other languages, too (especially French, Spanish, Italian or even German) – you won't find that in any other European country. Ok, maybe in Sweden, Denmark or the Netherlands, but their salaries are also much higher.

Last but not least: Romania's educational system is really good. Did you know that Romania rankedfirst among all European countries at the 2012 Mathematical Olympiad? And that Romania has one of the highest computer scientists ratios of the world? I guess this is the real reason why the German and the British governments don't want Romania to join the Schengen area: more competitors. They're not afraid of an invasion of poor Romanians, but of an invasion of highly skilled workers (which could have a negative impact on the wage level). But let's face it: Romania has one of the lowest unemployment rates of Europe and wages increased by 22% since 1990– why would you leave your family and friends behind if you have a decent job and salary?

And by the way: I'm not Romanian and nor am I trying to promote Romania. I just don't like that “black/white mentality”