Romania was among the first batch
of Eastern European nations gagging to enter Eurovision when the
barriers came down in 1993. Their first efforts met with
mediocre results to put it mildly. Itwasn't until 2002
that an incredibly old-fashioned ballad landed them in the top
ten, but this marked a major turning point.
The Romanians backed up that result with
another top ten finish, followed swiftly by consecutive top four
results in 2005 and 2006, something quite unthinkable just a few
years before. It's true that they've had their share of
help from diaspora and neighbours (hello Moldova!) but they've
also submitted contemporary, competent songs that have been
rewarded.
