There are many things that Romania should be proud of as the country nears 100 years of existence but it’s very important that the country is united not only geographically but also in terms of opportunities offered to its people, said Tatiana Proskuryakova, World Bank Country Manager for Romania and Bulgaria in an interview with local Agerpres.

She said that Romania has world-level Olympic students and brilliant IT engineers but that not all of the country’s inhabitants have the opportunity to get to this level due to social barriers, especially for those in rural areas. These differences could be reduced by increasing investments in education and healthcare, which would determine more Romanians to remain or return in the country.

The World Bank representative also pointed out that while the country has been getting richer the poverty rate has also been increasing, which shows that not all Romanians benefit from the good economic results.

She added that Romania needs a clear development target, given that the country recorded its biggest progress in the period when it was preparing to join the European Union, when there was a clear vision and everyone knew what they had to do.

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editor@romania-insider.com