The map above shows the geographical spread of Romanian candidates running in 2021.
The majority of the 17 represent municipalities in Jutland, with only one on Funen and three on Zealand.
But despite the distance between them, there are remarkable parallels between their policies – the result of a common understanding of the unique integration challenges facing internationally.
Communication is the key
Cross-cultural communication is a major political influence in many cases. Esbjerg’s Daniel Avram states “we must learn from each other” – a philosophy he put into practice when he established a Danish-Romanian association in 2019.
Ovidiu Nechitoi in Åbenrå imagines a broader association that extends to all expats. Nechitoi worked at a dairy before moving to a consulting business in Kolding, and he understands the value of services such as internationally friendly unions and recruitment centers.
His proposal for an urban hub aimed at helping expats would go a long way in “making us seen,” he claims.
Equal opportunities
For Alina Racila, who fights for the votes in Tønder, West Jutland, gender equality is a key issue. “Your gender, age, nationality, education or disability should not stand in the way of a good life,” she says.
Like Avram, Roxana Simion, who is running for election in Frederiksberg, will “open up a conversation between Danes and foreigners”.
“We have a lot to learn from each other,” she says. “I want to create a warm, welcoming phase for everyone who is new to the country.”
Simion also emphasizes the importance of accessible language learning – something Racila only knows all too well from her time, which suited the language teaching around her full-time job when she first moved to Copenhagen in 2014.
Romanian winner
Education and accessibility were also a key policy on the table for Narci’s George Matache, a Romanian citizen who ran for the Social Democrats in the Region of North Jutland’s elections in 2017.
During his campaign, he established meetings and social events in English to explain the breakdown of local voting systems. The goal was to involve international people in the election process – regardless of the standard their Danish skills were at.
In the end, he failed to win a seat with only 300 votes, but in March 2019, after a retirement, Matache was promoted to the position of first deputy, which is a recognized political position.
He is therefore running for election to the Regional Council of North Jutland with an extra leap in the crotch.