The Romanians in Spain are the major migrant group in our country, which we symbolically refer to as the return of the Spanish Emperor Trajan. They arrived in search of work and better life conditions than in their home countries. Upon 6 to 10 years of residence in Spain, they live in rented housing and their intention is to stay here for a certain period of time and then return home. They come to work and most of them have a European Community residence card, they also work in the private sector with long term and temporary contracts. During these years their expectations have been met, especially the economic ones, and they are reasonably satisfied with their family lives, with their personal relations and less with their work and studies. During the time they have lived in our country, the migrants feel that their contribution is positive, especially in the cultural field. They preserve their traditions and customs, as long as these do not go against the Spanish legislation. They also preserve their civil and religious traditions as well as their native language (Romanian) whenever this is possible. In their free time they watch TV and go out with friends as well as they listen to music and to the radio, and visit bars. Nevertheless, the Romanians spend their money especially for their homes. They do not have special integration problems or difficulties, except for unemployment and, in a lesser degree, the Spanish language or autonomic language. They tend to interact with the locals and participate sparsely in civil sports, religious, social or cultural organizations.

Keywords: Romanian migrants, expectations, unemployment, civil participation.

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