Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu today opened the Economic Forum at Mansion House, London, emphasizing the importance of strengthening economic relations between Romania and Great Britain, 17 years after the last official visit of a Romanian Prime Minister to the United Kingdom.
Marcel Ciolacu opened today the Economic Forum at the Mansion House in London. Photo: Screenshot
Ciolacu emphasized that this forum must represent a turning point in the Romanian-British strategic partnership, which began more than two decades ago.
“It is the perfect moment for us, 17 years after the last visit of a Romanian prime minister to Great Britain, to give a strong signal that we are ready to give a new dimension to our strategic dialogue”said Ciolacu at the opening of the event.
The Romanian Prime Minister emphasized that the excellent relations between the two countries are based on Romanian-British friendship, but also on historical ties and a large Romanian community well integrated in British society. More than 1.2 million Romanians live, study or work in the United Kingdom, actively contributing to the development of the British economy in sectors such as the financial-banking system, entrepreneurship, health, construction and IT.
“The Romanian language has reached the top of the three most spoken languages in England and Wales. It is a source of pride for us, but at the same time we are aware that the Romanian economy needs professional, serious people, on whom any company can rely”said Ciolacu.
Ciolacu insisted on his goal of reducing the migration of Romanians for work abroad, promoting Romania as a favorable destination for British investment. “My interest as prime minister is to reduce the number of Romanians who go to work abroad, and for this reason I wish that today we succeed in convincing more and more heads of large British companies that Romania is a very good country for investment“said the prime minister.
Also, Ciolacu emphasized that Romania’s economy has made significant progress in recent years, and some sectors have almost reached the average European level in terms of income. “We have salaries of 2-3000 euros for engineers, but also for other professional categories. We build highways, hospitals and modern schools, we increase the quality of public services”the prime minister mentioned.
Regarding the energy sector, Ciolacu noted the significant investments of Great Britain in Romania, such as the Rezolv Energy project, which will build the largest solar park in Europe. Romania ranks second in the European Union in terms of gas production and boasts an energy independence of 72%, well above the EU average of 43%.
“We are the second energy independent country in the European Union, with only 28% imports, compared to the European Union average of 57%. Romania is the second largest gas producer in the European Union, and our goal is to become energy independent by 2030. This is a major advantage for any investor”stated Ciolacu.
Romania – regional hub for energy, digitization and defense
The Prime Minister presented Romania’s vision as a regional hub in the Black Sea, emphasizing the importance of stability and democracy in the region, but also Romania’s potential in essential fields such as energy, digitalization and defense. “We want to transform Romania into a regional hub on the Black Sea, a provider of stability, promoter of democracy, as well as a key player in fields such as energy, digitization and defense”Ciolacu said.
In addition, Romania is in a process of transition to a green economy, and the Prime Minister emphasized the opportunities for cooperation between Romania and Great Britain in the development of SMEs and support for entrepreneurship. “We can build business incubators together and exchange best practices in the field of financing and support policies for the entrepreneurial sector, technological transfer and digitization“, Ciolacu said.
Another important point of the prime minister’s speech was the quality of the workforce in Romania, especially in the IT field. “We have a strong IT-trained workforce and, I say this without false modesty, perhaps one of the best in the world”said the prime minister.
