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Prince Charles received the title of Doctor Honoris Causa of Babes-Bolyai University in Cluj Napoca
His Royal Highness, Charles, Prince of Wales confessed, upon receiving the title of Doctor Honoris Causa of Babes-Bolyai University (UBB), that some of the reasons he often visits Romania are "my Romanian friends, your cultural and natural heritage, your traditions, but also your ability to innovate and change." Everything you stand for after centuries of history - your identity and your whole potential. The energy that you can set in motion in order to change something. These are the things that make you truly special throughout the world."
His Royal Highness Prince of Wales began his speech in Romanian, thanking those present for the honour of awarding him the title of Doctor Honoris Causa of the "oldest university in Romania."
Mr. Rector, ladies and gentlemen, I am deeply moved and very grateful for the great honour that you are bestowing on me this afternoon, said the Prince of Wales. He specified that 20 years sharp have passed since his first visit to Romania, in Transylvania in 1997, and evoked the beauty of this region and the strong impression it left on him at that time.
It is rare, perhaps even unique in Europe, to find productive realms so well preserved and functional, on such a scale, further said the Prince of Wales, who stressed his astonishment over Romania's natural richness, reminding that in this area there are 200 species of butterflies, while in the UK there are only 40.
He also mentioned in his speech the importance of small farms in Romania or the rest of Europe, which, as some EU studies have shown, produce twice as much per hectare than large farms, but also the importance of their sustainability on the market, through the necessary connections so that they can withstand, given their importance in maintaining a prosperous and environmentally friendly agriculture.
We, the rest of the world, have something to learn from these cultivated areas of Transylvania. They hold as much a spiritual as well as a social, economic and ecological significance. (...) The essence is that in those landscapes the human being still lives in harmony with nature, said the Prince of Wales.
He owns two properties in the northwest Transylvania region which he visits yearly.
In March, he made a three-day official visit to Romania on behalf of the British government.