Europe in Brussels part 8: Romania's rapidly growing expat community

"I love the international environment and working on a daily basis with different nationalities and cultures," says Monica Dimitriu, a Romanian national now based in Brussels for five years. "I wanted a new experience and saw this as an opportunity for more growth. You’re always learning something everyday here."

Dimitriu is a member of Belgium's greatly expanding Romanian community, which she claims has possibly become the third largest expat community here. "We went from 2,000 in the 1990s to around 65,000 now."

On 1 December, her home country celebrates its national holiday, known as Great Union Day. On that date in 1918, in the Transylvanian city of Alba Iulia, it was proclaimed that Transylvania was to join with the then Kingdom of Romania. After the Communists took power in 1944, the celebration of the holiday was changed to 23 August. However it reverted back again in 1990, following the overthrow of communist leader Nicolae Ceauşescu.

The occasion is usually celebrated with military parades, speeches and fireworks in the Romanian capital Bucharest. Also in the town of Alba Iulia itself there are annual commemorations of the union. Many Romanian families use the holiday to remember those who died in the first world war.

Dimitriu came to Belgium to work as a communications expert in the European Commission’s Education and Culture Directorate. She loved Brussels so much that after her mandate expired she decided to stay on longer.

"Every day, every moment there is something to do in Brussels," she says. "It’s very exciting here – I can go dancing, I can listen to live music. So much happens here. My son is also in a very good school and it’s enriching for him."

Growing community

With such a large expat community, it is not difficult to meet Romanians in Brussels and learn more about their culture. "We have many restaurants and shops to get our traditional food," Dimitriu adds. There are various organisations and associations promoting Romanian culture and language in Belgium, including the Institut Culturel Roumain and Europa Nova.

Dimitriu is a volunteer for the Maison Culturelle Belgo-Roumaine. "They not only work in the local community, but also with the Romanian authorities and the embassy here.

"Every week they have something new. They have courses to help Romanians integrate into the local culture and get familiarised with languages, they have IT courses, also courses for kids, such as storytelling."

The group also provides online TV and radio broadcasts relaying news and information about events to the Romanian community in Belgium. “It’s a very good means for communications, addressing the Romanian community, but not just that in Belgium but for Romanians internationally,” she adds.

Local celebrations

On 1 December there will be plenty of commemorations in Brussels of the national holiday, bringing together Romanian residents in the city. “The Romanian embassy and Permanent Representation also organise events," Dimitriu says. "The Maison Culturelle Belgo-Roumaine also organise events on that day. These organisations do really make huge efforts at bringing together the Romanian community here."

Europa Nova runs Romanian language courses on Wednesdays and Saturdays for children born in Romanian families based in Belgium, to increase their knowledge of the language and culture.

Despite her strong attachment to Brussels, Dimitriu also remains in close contact with her native Romania. “My husband is still there so I go back more often and I like to keep in touch with friends and colleagues. I like returning especially in summer. We like to stay up late, enjoy the good weather and the beaches. It has a great atmosphere there.”