Romania, a favourite destination for bilateral energy projects with the US?
Romania could become a favourite destination for the opportunity of developing joint energy projects – this was the conclusion of the first meeting of the Inter-Ministerial Committee for the implementation of the objectives resulting from the Strategic Partnership with the US and other bilateral Romania-US projects chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Ana Birchall, held at the Victoria Palace in early May. The meeting was attended by representatives of the ministries within the Inter-Ministerial Committee.
The agenda of the first meeting included topics such as the preparation of the Romania-US Strategic Dialogue, the Three Seas Initiative Summit (I3M), information on the latest developments in the bilateral political-diplomatic dialogue, US support for Romania’s candidacy to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), as well as the status of the projects and consultations on the sectoral working groups provided in the Strategic Partnership. As for the Romania-US Strategic Dialogue, which according to the provisions of the Strategic Partnership must take place annually, Deputy Prime Minister Ana Birchall said that the high-level meeting would take place in the near future.
“The development, deepening and expansion of the Strategic Partnership with the USA is a priority of the Government of Romania, assumed through the Governance Program. Romania is and remains a committed ally of the US and a strong promoter of the transatlantic relationship at both European and regional level. The development of bilateral economic relations is a priority in the Strategic Partnership with the US,” Ana Birchall stated.
At the first meeting of the Inter-Ministerial Committee, a number of concrete projects and opportunities were identified in the Romania-US relationship, especially in the economic sphere. For example, the opportunity for Romania to become a favourite destination for co-productions in the film industry, as well as the opportunity to develop joint energy projects.
Regarding the Three Seas Initiative Summit (I3M) and the Business Forum, scheduled in September this year, the Inter-Ministerial Committee agreed on the need for effective promotion to capitalize on the political and economic opportunities offered by the two events.
The purpose of setting up the Committee is to ensure political unity and improve interdepartmental coordination for the more coherent and effective promotion of Romania’s interests within the cooperation with the United States of America.
The committee is coordinated by Ana Birchall, Deputy Prime Minister for implementing strategic partnerships of Romania. The Committee includes: Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of National Defence, Ministry of Public Finance, Ministry of Economy, Ministry of Energy, Ministry of Transport, Ministry for the Business Environment, Trade and Entrepreneurship, Ministry of Communications and Information Society, Ministry of Research and Innovation, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Culture and National Identity and Ministry of National Education.
The Committee meets quarterly or whenever the situation so requires, to monitor the status of implementation of the bilateral Romania-US projects and to examine the proposals of the participating ministries in order to advance cooperation proposals to the US side.
