Search

The aim of this paper is to evaluate the stage of Information Technology implementation in the agricultural farms in Romania. At the level of each Romanian development region it was performed a research for identifying the use of Information Technology. In addition, it was conducted a study on the management applied in the agricultural farms, the market of information solutions developed for farms specific needs and of the politics that promote the investments in the Information Technology. The research had as result the identification of the main factors that lead to a reduced Information Technology penetration rate in the Romanian agriculture such as: the reduced number of agricultural farms with legal personality, the decreased investment potential of agricultural farms, the lack of interest of software developer enterprises in providing Farm Management Information Systems and the poor professional skills of farm managers and their employees in the Information Technology field.

Location is a key concept in tourism sector analysis, given the dependence of this activity on the natural, built, cultural and social characteristics of a certain territory. Consequently, the tourist zoning is an important instrument for delimiting tourist areas in accordance with multiple criteria, so as to lay the foundations for finding the most suitable solutions of turning to good account the resources in this field. The modern approaches propose in this respect a series of analytical tools that combine GIS and spatial agglomeration analysis based techniques. They can be also employed in order to examine and explain the differences between tourist zones (and sub-zones) in terms of economic and social results and thus to suggest realistic ways to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of tourist activities in various geographical areas. In the described context this paper proposes an interdisciplinary perspective (spatial statistics and geographical information science) for analysing the tourism activity in Romania, mainly aiming to identify the agglomerations of companies acting in this industry and assess their performance and contribution to the economic development of the corresponding regions. It also intends to contribute to a better understanding of the way in which tourism related business activities develop in order to enhance appropriate support networks. Territorial and spatial statistics as well as GIS based analyses are applied, using data about all companies acting in tourism industry in Romania provided by the National Authority for Tourism as well as data from the Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI).

Even if it has not a legal status yet, the Bucharest Metropolitan Area (BMA) project is in an advanced preparation phase, already producing effects in the real economy. Conventionally, BMA imbeds the entire Ilfov county (which surrounds it and form together the Bucharest-Ilfov region (NUTS 2)) as well as localities from other four counties of the South - Muntenia region (also NUTS 2). As Bucharest-Ilfov region appears as an enclave within South-Muntenia region, in a broader view it is considered that BMA influences all seven surrounding counties belonging to the South-Muntenia region. This region as a whole (apart from the localities of the four counties that are to be incorporated in the metropolitan area) plus Bucharest MA are viewed as the Bucharest metropolitan region, in other words the South-Muntenia region is the BMA external hinterland. In technical terms, the metropolitan area is a zone of direct city impact in which the relationships are strong and permanent (functional urban area, internal hinterland zone) whereas the metropolitan region is a zone in which the relationships are weaker, but the area is under the core city influence (macroregion, external hinterland zone). One of the main debates around BMA and metropolitan region refers to the effects of the BMA on its external hinterland, South-Muntenia region, by far less developed: are they / will they be spread or rather backwash effects? Our paper addresses this question focusing on a series of issues such as: examples of links between BMA and surrounding region, examples of positive and negative influences of the metropolis on its surrounding region, changes in regional settlement system and its drivers, changes in regional production system and main drivers, labour commuting patterns and drivers, policies with significant impact on metropolis ? region relationship, how external interventions address the needs of the metropolitan area and its external hinterland, to what extent the metropolitan area can contribute to the external hinterland regeneration, etc. The paper is the result of the research undertaken within the GRINCOH FP7 project.

The current research has concentrated on the following questions: What are the trends in restructuring Suceava's economy and which regional development factors were the most important (exogenous, endogenous, structural, socio-political ones, etc.)? Which is the relationship between social disparities and economic growth? Which regional/local policies proved to be the most successful for economic regeneration? How important was the external intervention for county's development? In order to respond these questions in-depth interviews were carried out with representatives of county and city office, national and regional authorities, Regional Development Agency, chambers of commerce, business associations, higher education institutions, and implementing authorities. Also, statistical socio-economic data were gathered and processed and strategic documents on development strategy, as well as various reports on evaluations of public policies have been studied. The study has been conducted within the GRINCOH FP7 project.

Romania's communist regime used forced industrialization and urbanization policies as a solution for speeding-up the pace of development in the lagging areas, which resulted in reducing regional disparities. However, after 1989 there areas were the first that suffered the hardships of economic restructuring, the economic and social discrepancies at territorial level recording an important increase. The accession to the EU has created good opportunities for the economic regeneration of the lagging regions provided the European funds allocated to them be absorbed and employed in an effective and efficient manner. Based on these overall considerations this paper proposes a case study in the North-East region of Romania. This region, with the lowest GDP/capita in the country has an absorption rate higher than the Regional Operational Programme's national average and a commendable expertise in the implementation of the regional development projects. The research has investigated to what extent these promising results reflect the objectives of the strategy outlined in the programme documents of the 2007-2013 financial exercise, aiming at a balanced territorial development. The significance of the case study is twofold: on the one hand it offers a spotlight on a very sensitive area of Romania in terms of regional development level; on the other hand it discusses the added value, strategic quality and administrative capacity which have made it possible to record results above the average in the implementation process. In line with the regional problem and the identified needs and strengths, the enterprise support has been chosen as the policy heading for this study. There is a clear continuity between the priority axes and key areas of intervention focusing on enterprise support in the ROP 2007-2013 and the enhancement of the SME competitiveness in the Cohesion Policy for 2014-2020, as one of the key areas for economic growth and job creation. The desk research ? with inquiries into the most important programming documents and result reports relating to the ROP in Romania and, in particular in the North-East region, plus the large volume of data analysis ? have been accompanied by interviews with the persons involved in the implementation process ? from local authorities to experts and beneficiaries at national, regional and county level. The research has been undertaken under the auspices of the EU ? FP7 GRINCOH project.

This paper represents a part of the author's contribution to the project "Housing rehabilitation in apartment block areas in Romania" developed under the auspices of the National Council for Higher Education Scientific Research. It addresses the relationship between housing policy and local development policy mainly from an institutional and legislative perspective, focusing on the actors involved in supporting housing and urban renewal actions in Romania. The role of local public administration is particularly envisaged, considering the authority of city councils with regard to rehabilitation of apartment block areas and, in a wider context, to urban regeneration. Several case studies on various Romanian cities will be presented in order to reveal not only current opportunities but also a series of drawbacks in this process.

The Romanian Journal of European Studies No.4/2005 ISSN 1583 - 199X EUV - Editura Universitatii de Vest, Timisoara, 2005 The British Coucil in Bucharest and The School of High Comparative European Studies (SISEC), within the West University of Timisoara, edited The Romanian Journal of European Studies - special issue on migration and mobility (Guest editor: Mr. Martin GEIGER, Bonn University, Germany; contact: mg.migration@googlemail.com). For more information or to obtain a printed copy, please contact Mr. Dan MOGA, at SISEC (E-mail: danmoga@yahoo.com) CONTENTS: Foreword; Grigore Silasi ... page 5 Editorial; Martin Geiger ... pages 7 - 8 Forms and Features of the Post-Enlargement Migration Space; Paolo Ruspini ... pages 9 - 18 Managing Migration for an Enlarging Europe - Inter-governmental Organizations and the Governance of the Migration Flows; Martin Geiger ... pages 19 - 30 Balkan Migrations and The European Union: Patterns and Trends; Martin Baldwin-Edwards ... pages 31 - 43 Workers' Mobility': Europe's Integration and Second Thoughts; Peter van Krieken ... pages 45 - 53 Romania's External Migration in the Context of Accesion to the EU: Mechanisms, Institutions and Social-Cultural Issues; Luminita Nicolescu, Daniela-Luminita Constantin ... pages 55 - 63 Migrations et incidence sur la répartition spatiale de la population en Roumanie au niveau national et régional; Vasile Ghetau ... pages 65 - 83

Since 1990 the territorial mobility in Romania has recorded a series of particularities determined by major transformations in the political, economic and social life. The economic disparities already existing between the prosperous and the lagging regions have increased during the transition years, influenced by institutional renewal, restructuring, privatization, etc. Several regions display higher unemployment rates, lower activity rates, lower incomes per capita and higher out-migration rates compared with the average. These regions have adapted inadequately to the changing economic conditions, such as the decline of various industries (e.g. coal mining in the south part of Romania) and, as a result of this fact, their out-migration has been intensified. In the early 1990s were already noticed widespread regional disparities in terms of labour supply as well as the main demographic indicators. Starting from this overall image the present paper examines the main changes in the intensity, orientation and territorial distance of migration flows as well as their structure and the variable influence of the ?push / pull? factors involved in this process. As a preliminary step in the analysis of the main characteristics of interregional mobility in Romania, the most significant zones in terms of their contribution to total national migration have been selected. Population and labour mobility between regions has been studied using a set of indicators calculated for the 1990 - 2000 period: gross and net migration, in- and out-migration rates, in- and out-migration flows for the selected zones, their structure and dynamics and so on. Regression functions, input-output tables and gravitational models have been mainly employed. Analysing the results, the economic disparities seem to be the key issue in the question of population and labour mobility, as asserted by the neoclassical theory. Though, its mechanism is not confirmed by a series of concrete situations, such as the intense urban-rural flows, showing that, besides the economic factors, the institutional ones as well as the individual and family motivations are also very important for the persons that decide to migrate. In the next years is expected a decrease in the interregional migration in favour of the intra-regional one. The migration flows from urban to rural areas at the same time with those from rural to rural areas will continue to play a significant role. Finally, the paper discusses the economic policy measures able to reduce the long-distance migration and the intensity of the ?push? factors.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the main features and the significance of the SME sector development for approaching the regional question in Romania during the transition period and to identify the first signs and the perspectives of SME territorial networking phenomenon. It also aims at analysing the usefulness and the relevance of this concept and those directly related to it (local entrepreneurship, local milieu) for regional policy purposes. The evolution of the Romanian sector of SMEs expresses a variety of conditions and causes, the following being the most relevant: the absence of such a sector before 1990; the legal framework adopted for setting up this kind of enterprises; the incentives provided at the beginning of the process and thereafter; the speed of restructuring and privatisation of the state firms. Accordingly, the first section of the paper focuses on the actual state of SME sector in Romania: the analysis undertaken by ownership type, size and economic activity has pointed out the further development potential of SMEs, stressing the idea of a real, deeper support that needs to be offered to this sector, concentrated on three aggregate objectives: the removal of any administrative, financial, legal, etc. barriers that still hinder the SME starting-up and development; the provision of assistance and information to SMEs; encouraging co-operation and partnership between firms. The next section deals with the quantitative, qualitative and sectoral aspects of the territorial distribution of SMEs, their role in territorial development and competition. It also seeks to identify phenomena characteristic to territorial networking in which SMEs can bring a significant contribution. Finally, the third section addresses the question of SME development and networking within the overall regional policy. The main conclusion is that the Romanian SME sector can represent an important source of local and regional dynamism. Even though the big firms remain a key factor of restructuring the productive system, from regional viewpoint the SME activity appears as a strategic one for each region`s economic reconstruction, provided SMEs be included in a well-structured environment, in a coherent territorial network, involving links, relations, exchanges between them and other economic agents (like banks, higher education institutes, training centers, consulting firms, chambers of commerce, local public administration). The analysis performed in this paper reveals that the framework for networking not only at regional level but also at interregional and international level has been created but so far there is not enough information to measure the scope of this phenomenon. The extension of the process of parallel outsourcing of functions that could be better performed by specialised suppliers within indirect vertical integration through the creation of networks of local subcontractors, the creation of spin-offs and new firms in related sectors still remain subjects for further studies in this field.

When the environmental issues are addressed in sustainability, human security terms the information demand is getting more complex, emphasising the need to integrate environmental, economic and socio-cultural information. This paper proposes an insight into the data and indicator issues on environment and human security in Romania from an institutional perspective. To a country in transition like Romania creating appropriate organisational structures and legislation has beed a prerequisite to building a realistic and effective environmental protection strategy. Therefore a presentation of the institutional and legislative framework of environmental protection created after 1989, in comparison with the situation in the communist period, has been considered necessary for understanding the institutional context of environmental data collecting, transmitting, processing and employing. On this basis the environmental information system has been critically assessed in terms of content, information flows and further developments related to human security issues. The data reliability at various territorial levels of data collecting, processing and transmitting has been also analysed in this context. A special emphasis has been put on the actors involved in employing the environmental information for strategy and policy elaboration and implementation, management and administration as well as for scientific research, environmental education and public participation purposes. A typology of these actors from organisational viewpoint has been proposed and analysed, pointing out the need of enhancing the netwotking effects at both national and international level.