Noi culturi, noi antropologii - Humanitas

No other state program for integration existed. The analysis
made by the UNHCR regarding the existent refugee legislation
in the Central and Eastern Europe emphasizes that
between the 1991- 1999, Romania and Poland had the least
favorable regime of rights for refugees. The refugees arrived
in Romania before 2004 have come across many difficulties
in their settlement in Romania. Their stay was characterized
by the lack of an integration program for refugees, harsh
conditions for naturalization, a misuse of the 1951 Convention
Relating to the Status of refugees – the automatic expiration
of the refugee status after three years, impossible
requirements for refugees in order to extend their residency
(for example the obligation of a clean criminal record from
the origin country), the breach of the UNHCR Convention
regarding the guarantee of their protection, and no special
treatment for refugees as stipulated by the 1951 Convention
relating to the Status of Refugees (and its 1967 Protocol),
which is the key legal document in defining who is a refugee,
their rights and the legal obligations of states.
The second wave: Romania,
country of destination for refugees
If in the first wave integration was not a priority for the Romanian
government, in the second wave (after 2004), due
to the political changes in the Eastern Europe, integration
of refugees and other immigrants in Romania has become a
planned activity: „Starting with the years 2000, everything
was more organized. There was a place where you had your
interview, where to go if you have a problem and so on. But
the Africans who came before 2000 did not have a lawyer
to represent their case. They pleaded their case by themselves.
Slowly, UNHCR became more visible, because there
were many refugees arriving.“ 163
163. Ibidem.
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