“ How much do I earn in a month?” says Gabi, young shopgirl in an Italian shop centre. “For riches”,they say here in Bucarest. “Get togheter four of that ties and you’ll know”, continues pointing at the shopwindow. One tie, 35 Euro. The story of Gabi is not the only one: as hers, many people, of that 22 milions of Rumeni entering in the UE, live in poverty. They live with 600-700 lei in a month, about 200 Euro, but in Bucarest a bed-sitting room in semi-centre is about 150 euro, and oil costs less that _ than Italy. But in three months, with Bulgaria, Romania will enter in UE: yesterday,on Tuesday, September 26th, European commission allows the entrance of the two countries next January , and not at the beginning of 2008. But Romania and Bulgarians don’t made illusions: will not change so much, they say. And it isn’t so good.

“Bulgaria and Romania have made progress just to complete their preparation for the entrance as members, showing their attitude to apply UE’s laws and principles on January the first 2007”, it’s written in the report by the president of the commission, Josè Manuel Barroso, and by European commissioner for the enlargement, Olli Rehn. It was quite sure but Bruxelles raccomandation wasn’t automatic. Doubts about Romania and Bulgaria wasn’t cancelled yet: for this , UE added some economic helps for Bucarest and Sofia will depend on the completation of teha asked forms. Needs to work on justice, health and European funds’ management, and two countries will periodically report to Bruxelles about progresses. Now, during this period, commission’s raccomandation will must be approved formally by 25 members. But, really, Europe with 27 countries is a already a reality.

Two years ago, when the two countries signed their treaty for the entrance in the Union, the worst was Romania. With economy strongly more backward than the rest of the ex-communist countries entered in 2004, vast corruption and reform to carry out in all sectors, Romania was looked suspectly by not just only one member. In only two years situation has changed: Romania strongly envolved, while Bulgaria’s preoccupations were more serious until the end. Corruption in the politic and judicial system, money recycling, journalists’ intimidation are already normal.

In Bulgaria, in a normal day an important business man could be killed in the street by hired killer, but nobody knows. Since 2001, murder “by commission” were 150. Arrested people:zero. The union between politic power and organized crime is reported by many parts, and who trys to show intrigues, risks. On April, a bomb in Sofia has semi-destroyed the flat of Vassil Ivanov, an investigative journalist, he didn’t die just because he wasn’t in his house.  “In Bulgaria every politic is corrupted”, says Bojko Todorov, an analist in the centre for the study of democracy, a group of control financed by UE.

The possibility to enter in Europe has multiplied stranger investement in two countries, with a consequent effect on their economies, growed with 4/5 per cent in the last years. Italian presence is very strong in Bucarest,ot Timisoroa. Instead of economy growth, life’s level for most of the population isn’t changed so much. Bucatest streets are still full of old breaked Dacias, but berline of stranger trade are growing. Street’s children, who lived in the manhole covers, are older but they haven’t disappeared. Stray dog are still a problem, and urban decay is immediately seen. Intolerable traffic jam, dirty roads, with holes in the pavement, every walk is a slalom, ruined houses in the main centre: Ceausescu’s Bucarest, now full of advertisements, that often cover ( with windows) grey block of flats, inheritance of the old system, but isn’t changed so much. Housewifes crowd, with thei bags, the buses , often going trough the city, just because goods are cheaper. There are shops for Rumens, and others “for occidental”, or for minority that with the capitalism made money. But there, as Gabi’s case shows, salaries is not enough.

To be in Europe is felt by the people as an obligation of the elite, and is positive only for them. Pride, typical of this part, and distrust is due to the feeling to be always judged, as if rest of the Europe thought that they are not so European. “Europe needs Romania, not the opposite”, says Claudiu just graduated in Laws but still without  job. “Thees countries has got a lot of land, resource and farms. UE wants only exploit us, but for ourselves,Rumens, things will not change so much”. In the cities the fear is that, with the growth of the pay, price also will grow. In the countryside many  farmers and breeders look as trouble the hygienic and quality standards, fron Bruxeless. Communism has taken their land. Now they have it and they fear that Europe could take it again.