UK newspaper The Independent has provided an interesting counter point to the prevailing narrative on the end of transitional controls on Romania and Bulgaria in British press. Reporter Jerome Taylor went to Romania to talk to British expats living about the country's image in the UK and their own experiences of life at Europe's eastern edge.

The reporter talked to a number of Brits, including singer Dave Bryan (in picture), who represented Romania in the 2011 Eurovision song contest. “Like many of the expats living here, he has viewed the increasingly hostile reaction coming out of Britain towards Romanian and Bulgarian migrants with a mixture of disappointment and embarrassment,” reads The Independent's article.

The expats had plenty of positive things to say about Romania, including a low cost of living with a high quality of life and the safety and peace of the cities compared to those in the UK. “It's the safest city I've ever been to,” said Bucharest resident Michael Fraser.

The big negative was the endemic corruption in business, politics and across much of Romanian society. The expats were unflinching in their criticism of both the level and the acceptance of corruption in Romania, according to The Independent.

Read The Independent article: British expats in Romania: They come over here, taking our jobs...

editor@romania-insider.com