A Romanian “News Year”

Europe just got a lot more interesting. As of January 1, 2007, Romania (and Bulgaria) is an EU member country.

The Romania buzz started a few years back, when Cold Mountain was filmed there. Then came the less-flattering big-screen depiction of Romania in Borat (Borat’s Kazakhstan hometown in the movie is actually a Romanian village). Now the press is rushing in to find out how Romanians are going to adjust to to being Europeans, and how Europe is going to absorb 22 million new people.

The first reports are already in, and if Lonely Planet’s Leif Pettersen has it right, whatever happens will involve a lot of partying:

“Due to a hastily enacted law, passed in October, prudent distance has been placed between moonshine aficionados and the booster rocket-sized fireworks they once freely procured. The reduced possibility of being taken out by a pyrotechnics mishap dulled the edge of mayhem I’d envisioned, but Iasi was nevertheless in high gear. The square fronting Iasi’s magnificent Palace of Culture was the focus of the festivities, with Romanian and European Union flags hung together from every post-like protuberance.”

Check out Leif’s account of “News Year”‘s Eve in Iasi here. And while you’re at it, have a look at his excellent blog, too.