FOR the past four years, Jersey has not had a dedicated Romanian consul in place.
Other countries with significant populations in the Island, such as Portugal, Poland, Estonia, Belgium and Rwanda, have consulates available.
Consulates are diplomatic, regional offices, which, among their responsibilities, protect the interests of their citzens, provide advice, assist with travelling or living abroad and issue visas to foreign nationals.
In the 2021 census, there were 1,338 Romanians living in Jersey, while in 2022, Deputy Raluca Kovacs became the first Romanian to be elected to the States Assembly.
She said that it is not possible to have a “full” Romanian consulate due to practical constraints. The only option would be to have an honorary consul, which is the case for other communities on the Island.
As Jersey is a British Crown Dependency, diplomatic representation will generally go through the UK embassies which oversee, typically in London.
Meanwhile, Jersey can only have an honorary consulate, which is an unpaid, voluntary role, with limited authority. They can not issue official documents, like visas or passports.
Deputy Kovacs is heavily involved in ensuring the Romanian community in Jersey have representation, and explained how she arranged for consular officers from the Romanian Embassy in London to visit the Island for sessions.
She said: “We had an honorary consul until 2022, but her mandate was not extended. After I was elected, and following my time as chair of the Romanian Association in Jersey, the Embassy proposed me for the role, as I was already carrying out much of the required work.
“However, given that it is also a voluntary position and my current role is very demanding, I chose to continue supporting the community in my own capacity rather than take on a formal obligation.”
Deputy Kovacs has since presented different potential candidates to the Embassy to take on the honorary position who, for a variety of different reasons, did not progress forward.
“It is understandably difficult to find someone able to commit to a minimum four-year voluntary term without dedicated resources, especially when the role may require personal financial contributions, particularly given the high cost of living”, she added.
“Until someone suitable is appointed, I will continue supporting the community as much as I can, when I can.”
