EU Ambassador to Romania Jonathan Scheele, on a visit to the Transylvania town of Sfantu-Gheorghe on 22 May, rejected the local initiative of ethnic Hungarian leaders to transform the Szekler Lands' region into a separate "development region," Romanian Radio and Mediafax reported. Scheele told the local UDMR leadership that the EU encourages regionalization for the purpose of improving development, but this will never be achieved if the map of economic-development regions continues to be amended. Romania in 1998 divided the country into eight development regions, which are not structures of local administration as the counties are. Scheele also said that Romania's legislation on the rights of national minorities reflects European standards, although he said there might be some problems with the implementation of the legislation. He said the integration of the Romany minority in Romania is dependant on a "process of a change in mentalities," which he said will take time and must be taken seriously. MS

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