REPLAY Transylvanians fear EU membership will erode their traditional way of life

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• published: 23 Jul 2015
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village of Viscri, southeast Transylvania, 300 kilometres (186 miles) north of capital Bucharest 1. Lorries passing close to old medieval Saxon monastery with Romania-EU poster in foreground 2. Various of sheep in field 3. SOUNDBITE: (Romanian) Vox Pop: Shepherd: "I could live better with my sheep without highways and so many trucks around." 4. Shepherd surrounded by dogs watching the sheep 5. Various of road workers digging 6. Heavy traffic through old village's house with Romanian and EU flags 7. Various of wood cutters working in the Transylvanian forest 8. SOUNDBITE: (Romanian) Vox Pop, Wood cutter: "I do not know what we shall do if they are building a highway here. We will be forced to sell our horses, so we are going to starve." 9. Zoom out of horse cart loaded with timber 10. Zoom in to old medieval monastery 11. Various inscriptions on old house 12. Various of horse drinking water at village well 13. Turkeys in the dusty road, 14. Various of old women crocheting and sitting in front of the houses 15. House belonging to Britain's Prince Charles 16. Sign on the house 17. Men carrying wooden trough 18. Various interior shots of traditional house with old painted furniture 19. SOUNDBITE: (English) Caroline (only one name given), representative of the Eminescu trust: "On January the first, when we join the EU and the gates will open, I hope that more Europeans will come and see what we have achieved with the Eminescu trust in the Saxon villages in the preservation of our culture and traditions. And I hope to get more resources to carry on our work." 20. Furniture in house 21. Photo with Prince Charles and Caroline dressed in traditional costume 22. Young boy riding the horse on village main road STORYLINE: Residents of Transylvania in Romania are divided about the merits of joining the European Union on 1 January 2007, with some fearing they will lose their traditional way life. Transylvania is known around the world for being the homeland of Dracula, a historical figure made famous in Bram Stoker's 19th century novel. Increasing numbers of tourists are coming to Viscri, 300 kilometres (186 miles) north of Bucharest, but while some residents are happy about the extra money tourism brings others are worried they will lose their traditions. There are concerns about EU regulations in areas such as animal farming, with many unable to afford new equipment to keep animals or to work the land. There is also disagreement over the new contract for the construction of a highway linking Romania to Hungary which cuts Transylvania into two parts. "I do not know what we shall do if they are building a highway here. We will be forced to sell our horses, so we are going to starve," said one wood cutter. "I could live better with my sheep without highways and so many trucks around," added a shepherd. New roads and highways might affect traditional workers, but they will be built far from the old villages so old houses and churches will be saved from heavy traffic. In May, Britain's Prince Charles spent two days in Viscri. He saw much of the restoration work to preserve old Transylvanian villages, and also bought an 18th century house. Some see benefits of EU membership and hope that tourism will provide an opportunity for them to showcase their way of life. Caroline, a representative of the Eminescu trust, said she wanted visitors to see what they had achieved "in Saxon villages in the preservation of our culture and traditions." The trust is dedicated to the conservation and regeneration of villages and communes in Transylvania, one of the most unspoilt regions of Europe. Romania and Bulgaria will raise EU membership to 27 nations. =============== Clients are reminded: You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/ebfb9f50b09e4cecd1b877e967ecc09d Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork