Transports minister claims that the money will be directed to continue or start work on ring roads of the main cities, as Timisoara, Bucharest and Ploiesti. And when it comes to large sums allocated to rehabilita- tion of roads and municipal councils, although praiseworthy, that illus- trates the extent cynicism in pursuit of votes. Obviously, it’s easier to earn elective stock by deceiving hundreds of thousands of villagers with the slogan “we’ve built you roads”, than to struggle to finish a motorway to link two borders. No one can deny that we need real coun- ty and municipal roads, instead of the current paths around pits.
But what is a smattering of asphalt in the desert, when what is really missing is a transport corridor bringing revenue from tourism or transit and the catalyst role for the development of the strategic position at the eastern border of the EU? In Romania, the appetite for real estate speculation, the excess of zeal in protecting the environment just because it gives good image and the preference for maximum profit from perfunctory works may thwart major infrastructure projects. But rather than remove the above mentioned impediments, it’s easier to shrug one’s shoulders, to pump money into consumption and to over- reach the carriers, by tempting them with great plans for the money only in theory.
