To have problems like these!

Yes, money. Stop salivating: it's all Romania's! 

Things here have gotten a bit gloomy, so how about a spot of positive news? Like this story for example. The EC Commissioner for Regional Policy, Johannes Hahn, has said that Romania 'must absorb EUR 5 billion in EU funds to avoid losing them'.

Even better, there's a commitment from the EU's side that saving these funds is not in Europe's best interest, but rather that they need to be spent in a 'sustainable, intelligent, smart way'. Ok, let's forgive the man the redundant use of 'intelligent' and 'smart' in the same sentence: I always say don't look a gifthorse in the mouth, and especially not when it's offering you EUR 5 billion.

Some come on Romania: this is a national emergency! Help the Government spend all that money! Sure, it won't be easy, and your bank cards may well end up being swiped until they leave burns on your fingers, but now is the time for creative shopping at only the most expensive stores. Spare no expense: if the shop assistant tells you the item you want is on a discount, wave him away and pay double the value!

EUR 5 billion buys a hell of a lot of whatever governments tend to buy with huge handouts. You know: parks, some fresh paint for the offices and maybe a truckload or two of croissants. I definitely think that a little Romanian ingenuity will keep that money cycling around in a manner which truly is both intelligent and smart.

Here's some impressive maths if the rhetoric fails to elicit a chuckle: with a population of 21 million, that EUR 5 billion would be enough to give each and every Romanian citizen RON 1 071 (which if stats are to be believed is more than the average individual Romanian salary - RON 856). One month's salary for EVERYBODY, or a park and a spot of new tar? Hmm, I know which way I'd vote if I were Romanian.