My name is Dorel Jurcovan, I live in Timisoara and in the month of May I make a short visit to my daughter that lives in Portland.  During my previous visits in Oregon, I had some extraordinary human experiences, reflecting outstanding human experiences.  Those convinced me to put to good use my business and International Development experience that I got in so many parts of the world; I want to employ my visit to create a closer relationship between Portland and Timisoara.  Even if Timisoara and Portland are almost on opposite points of the world, could we create a communication tunnel through the center of the earth?

During one of my first visits in USA, someone offered me a good advice: “Use your opportunities”.  It is obvious that Timisoara offers business opportunities.  In 2005 the trade relations of the Timis county with USA represented 0.2% of the total.  Iran has probably a higher trade turnover that that.  This happens while USA is the strongest world economy and Romania (according to poles) is the most pro-US country of the European Union.  This unbalance is abnormal and hides chances for the daring.  This happens while the Germans, the Italians and other Europeans use their chances.

Timisoara, the third city of Romania has 350,000 inhabitants and is a city with a highly qualified workforce.  Siemens, Solectron and Alcatel use thousands of specialists, especially computer people, to manufacture goods and create software.  The city is close to Hungary (37 miles) and Serbia (39 miles).  The economy is very diversified, practically any industrial branch or service is present (technological level could be improved).  Timisoara has an international airport and transport from abroad is simplified.  Since Romania is now part of EU, Timisoara could be used as a launching pad for anything for the EU market.  In the next 6 years, Romania will have available a total of $78 billions to get to the level of EU; businesses could apply to these funds and can recover from 20% to 100% of their investments.

Similar opportunities exists in other fields too, and Timisoara has plenty to offer.  Timisoara has 3 theaters (Romanian, German, Hungarian), Opera and Philharmonic Orchestra.  More than 20,000 students learn in 9 universities and many of them come from abroad.  The city architecture led to the name of “Little Vienna”.  The many parks, and especially the Park of Roses gave the city another name “City of Roses”.  The city has 700 years of existence and it was a permanent source of progress:  the first European city with street electric lights, the second city with electric tram, the first railroad in the South East of Europe, etc.

Taking all these into account, what could be an explanation of such loose connections with US.  The main obstacle is the lack of reciprocal knowledge.  I spoke with many Romanian enterprisers and I realized that the majority of them know nothing about the American economy and what advantages they could get from such cooperation.  I contacted American friends asking them what business they would make with Romania and they answered “Tell me where to invest and I will consider”.  Unfortunately I didn’t know myself what American business could be successful in the Romanian reality.  Romania is like the Sleeping Beauty that makes now big efforts to awake to the world reality.

How could we give a strong coffee cup to the Sleeping Beauty?  I think that the main step is to promote reciprocal knowledge, information exchange, so that each part could assess the reality of the other.  Business people, artists should have a chance to know each others interest, to dialogue, to discover themselves what cooperation chances exist.

And this coffee cup should not cost too much, at least at the beginning.  How could we achieve our objective with reduced costs?  Through friendly mass media that understand where the interest of their customers is and transmit information about the corresponding city, successful businesses, public administration, even everyday experiences.  Through Interent where the information can permanently exists without costs.  An Internet forum would allow direct information exchange on any subject of interest.  Through short movies posted on YouTube.  Through direct contacts between citizens and encouraging a “knowledge tourism” where, for a short time, you become the guest of a potential partner.

Timisoara started the Romanian anticommunist revolution in 1989.  We need now a different revolution, that you, the reader of these lines, could be an active part.  Do you have an interesting business?  Describe how you started, how you got your success, what are your problems and I will do my best that your story appears in Timisoara newspapers.  Do you work in public administration, City Hall, university, culture?  The same answer.  Do you have ideas how this initiative could have more impact?  Write to me at [email protected].  Do you want to donate money or your time?  Again, write to me.

One last note.  The final objective is changing ideas and values, an opportunity to see the world differently.  Therefore, I would ask you to send political, religious, gender or racial neutral materials.  A partisan position could lead to the rejection of the message exactly by those that need the most a mentality change.

Dorel Jurcovan

June 18th, 2007