This article is written by Dragos C. Costache and Maria Zirra When Romania acceded to the EU in 2007, there was a wave of public euphoria. The country was already riding a major economic boom and there was an overwhelming sense of national pride that united the fragmented Romanian public […]

Should you ever end up on the operating table in Romania, one of the last thoughts that might go through your mind before passing out is: “Did I pay the doctor enough?” Photo: The U.S. National Archives For a long time, as a child, I was convinced my grandmother was […]

Several years ago, my middle-aged father was chopping wood in the forest behind our country cottage. After not returning home on time, my mother went out searching for him. As she got closer to the forest, she heard his screams. It turned out that a tree had fallen on his […]

What would you do with a country where you have a very generous healthcare system, an aging society and a pretty complicated economic situation? Hungary is well known as a country on its way to embracing Western European standards in terms of social security and economic success. A lesser known […]

Over the past few years, Hungarians have spent far more than they could afford. Now the government is trying to save them from the consequences of the financial crisis and their own irresponsibility. But is it really a good idea to be such a nanny? Before the financial crisis, bank […]