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AHK Romania's Lier: Prospects for Romanian-German economic relations continue to be excellent, despite challenges
Romania has transformed itself from a manufacturing location into a centre of innovation and technology and will play an important role in the transition to green energy and in EU's competitiveness, president of the German-Romanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (AHK Romania) Andreas Lier told a specialist conference.
"Despite all the challenges, the prospects for Romanian-German economic relations continue to be excellent and I believe that Romania will continue to attract a lot of investment - new topics such as energy are increasingly more in the spotlight. The motto of the Romanian-German business community, 'Strengthening Partnerships - Turning Challenges into Opportunities,' now includes the Republic of Moldova," Andreas Lier mentioned.
According to a press release sent on Tuesday, more than 250 participants from Romania, Germany and the Republic of Moldova gathered last week in Berlin, at the initiative of AHK Romania and the German Committee for Eastern Europe, to take part in the Romanian-German economic conference, as well as in the round tables and meetings organised on this occasion.
Thus, high-level business and political representatives from the three countries showed interest in closer cooperation in areas such as energy, digitisation, research and development and agriculture, which are regarded as priorities in the current geopolitical context.
According to the source, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany Olaf Scholz and Prime Minister of Romania Marcel Ciolacu sent video messages supporting economic cooperation between the three countries.
We strongly support Romania's accession to the Schengen area, which will give even more impetus to bilateral trade relations. We focus on strong partnerships and support the Republic of Moldova on its European path, said the German Chancellor.
He expressed his gratitude for the fact that Germany has reliable partners like Romania and Moldova and hoped that trade between these countries will continue to grow.
On the other hand, the Chancellor voiced the hope that Romania will join the OECD soon, thus becoming more attractive and facilitating the transfer of know-how.
Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu stressed that Germany is Romania's most important trading partner, adding that "the success of German companies means more prosperity for Romania." He identified several directions of cooperation in previous discussions with Chancellor Scholz, such as: investments in industry, agriculture, innovation and digitisation, road and rail infrastructure, participation in the reconstruction of Ukraine, support to the Republic of Moldova.
The start of gas exploitation in the Black Sea was also mentioned as a turning point for business in the energy and chemical sectors.
Present in Berlin, Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean assured that Moldova is a safe country for business. "We are implementing the European Union agenda, its regulations and market rules. The government pays much attention to the business environment and is ready to exploit all the existing potential," Dorin Recean stressed.
At the same time, Romanian Energy Minister Sebastian Burduja told participants that "Romania is open for business" in the energy sector. He spoke about Romania's energy mix and invited the business community to participate in identifying long-term solutions together, especially regarding energy storage.
Romanian Minister of Economy, Entrepreneurship and Tourism Stefan-Radu Oprea underlined the merit of the business community for changing the Romanian economy, by bringing technology, know-how and new skills to work.
He also mentioned the positive effects that NATO and EU membership have had on Romania's development.
The Romanian-German economic conference is in its second edition, after the hybrid one held in 2021, which enjoyed a great success.
AHK Romania is the official representative of the German economy. Established in 2002, AHK counts more than 600 member companies and offers companies an important platform for networking, exchange of information and experience.