If one had to choose a key phrase to describe the second local YOUMIG event in Romania, “updated perspectives” seems to be a good fit. The forum organized on the 12th of March 2018 in Sfântu Gheorghe brought together project partners from Romania, that is, academic researchers and employees of the local government, with local stakeholders, actors with an interest in one way or another in the topic of youth migration. These stakeholders include organizations involved in local enterprise development as well as the staff of the regional employment office. The aim of the event was to discuss two projects of the Municipality set to be launched within the framework of YOUMIG. The two projects are an online platform and an one-stop-shop service, both dedicated for issues concerning return migration.

According to recent research on migration[*], there is a strong connection between the way people perceive regional developmental hierarchies on the one hand, and demographic and migratory trends on the other. To put it simpler, people tend to migrate from regions they perceive as less developed to places which they believe are more highly regarded. Speaking at the forum, Tamás Kiss, YOUMIG project manager at the Romanian Institute for Research on National Minorities, suggested that the massive population loss of Sfântu Gheorghe can be explained by the fact that the city does not rank well in terms of its development either on a global or on a national scale, and consequently locals, especially young people, move to places where they consider life is “better”.

The case study on international migration in Sfântu Gheorghe completed by Andrea Sólyom, YOUMIG thematic expert at the Municipality of Sfântu Gheorghe, went deeper into the topic, and revealed particular reasons young people leave their hometown. Several of the main problems identified by migrants themselves were the following: lengthy administrative practices unreasonably burdening day-to-day life, unresponsive authorities, mutual lack of trust, poor infrastructure, the mentality of the employers (no trust in young workforce, not enough appreciation etc.), lack of support for enterprise development, general mentality of the society (traditionalist, people prone to envy etc.), discrimination against ethnic minorities.

Being strongly motivated in encouraging return migration, the Municipality of Sfântu Gheorghe will carry out two projects, which respond directly to some of the challenges identified by the academic partners. These two projects were presented to the audience by Tímea Veress-Nagy, YOUMIG expert working at the town hall of the city. First, an online platform which goes by the name of Sepsinet, will be developed to facilitate information exchange between people originating from Sfântu Gheorghe. Besides creating a space for people living abroad to share their experiences, the platform will also welcome those who returned to their home country, and offer guidance through sharing useful information about reintegration possibilities.

The service offered by Sepsinet is the knot that binds the two projects together. The second initiative involves setting up a one-stop-shop service for the administrative issues frequently faced by returnees. The OSS will not make bureaucracy disappear, but it will gather and provide contact information, online services of local and central authorities, and forms to fill out, all delivered by a friendly and well-prepared “human voice” offering advice to those concerned.

All forum participants welcomed the two projects and provided further inputs for their improvement. For instance, the Association of Small- and Medium Size Enterprises of Covasna County (ASIMCOV), LAM Foundation and the OTP Consulting Romania, all involved in enterprise development and financing start-up businesses of Romanian citizens living abroad, provided further details of the frustrations experienced by those who intend to return and start a business. To connect with the project, the organizations offered their expertise in addressing and reaching migrant communities.

Other organizations dealing primarily with finding one’s way around the city of Sfântu Gheorghe and surroundings, such as the Transylvanian Mechanical Engineering Cluster (TMEC), Youth Council of Háromszék (HÁRIT) and the Junior Business Club (JBC), stressed the importance of presenting recent developments and new possibilities emerging in the city, this way providing further incentives for migrants to move back home. Apparently, many migrated persons have outdated perceptions about the region and are lacking updated knowledge about improved services, the availability of information and new possibilities to start a business or getting hired at a local company.

Gergely Buja, YOUMIG project manager from Sfântu Gheorghe, noted that as a first step activities that belong to the scope of the local government will be considered in the projects, but on longer run integrating relevant information and services of other state institutions and civil organizations will also be on the cards. Immediate actions include getting in contact with local and regional institutions in order to collect basic information about their activities, followed by the setting up of the online helpdesk.

The Sepsinet platform will offer not only updated information about administrative issues, but it is also meant to become a virtual meeting place of people from Sfântu Gheorghe living abroad, where they can share experiences on different topics, access news about cultural and sports events, and where they can follow from a distance the overall development of the town. Periodically new content will be uploaded to the online platform, like interviews, short videos with returned migrants, or people on a flying home visit, with heads of local institutions, and young, successful entrepreneurs.

The declared aim of the one-stop-shop service and the related online platform is to provide updated, correct information for migrants, while transmitting images of an ever-changing community, which is more and more prepared to welcome the returnees.

Text and photos by Ágnes Kiss and Tímea Veress Nagy

[*] Work by Arland Thornton, Attila Melegh, Tamás Kiss