Economic ties between Romania and France should deepen, PM says during visit
<p>Romania's prime minister Marcel Ciolacu visited France on Monday, November 4, to highlight the importance of the partnership between the two countries. </p>
<p>Ciolacu visited Euronaval, the world's main naval defense exhibition, met with representatives of the Romanian community in France, and had talks with French counterpart Michel Barnier.</p>
<p>The Romanian government delegation also included deputy prime minister Marian Neacșu, foreign minister Luminița Odobescu, defense minister Angel Tîlvăr, labor minister Simona Bucura-Oprescu, Vice-President of the European Parliament Victor Negrescu, and Hidroelectrica CEO Borbèly Károly.</p>
<p>"The global economic context makes it even more important to deepen the economic component of our Strategic Partnership, with a focus on areas generating added value: IT&amp;C, aeronautics, energy, and the defense industry. Doubling the volume of bilateral trade over the 16 years of the Strategic Partnership, its upward trend, and traditional economic partnerships such as Dacia-Renault represent solid arguments to continue our cooperation in a consolidated manner," Marcel Ciolacu said, cited by <a href="https://www.news.ro/politic-intern/marcel-ciolacu-contextul-economic-mondial-face-si-mai-importanta-aprofundarea-componentei-economice-a-parteneriatului-strategic-intre-romania-si-franta-1922404504562024112221825501">News.ro</a>.</p>
<p>The Romanian official noted that the two countries cooperate well both bilaterally and within multilateral formats: the EU, NATO, the UN, and institutional Francophonie. He also said that Romania’s relationship with France is a pillar of the former’s diplomacy.</p>
<p>“Romania and France are linked by a deep friendship, a long-standing relationship promoting common values and visions at the bilateral, European, and international levels, as well as strong economic cooperation," he added.</p>
<p>Ciolacu also noted the significant and solid cooperation in security matters, especially the fact that France has assumed the role of framework nation for the NATO Battle Group in Romania. Moreover, the prime minister thanked France for its support in Romania's accession process to the OECD. </p>
<p>Another important topic on the agenda was cooperation in the fields of education, culture, and science. A major point of interest for Romania is maintaining the mother tongue among Romanian communities abroad, especially among children integrated into local educational systems, the government press release says.</p>
<p>In 2025, Romania and France will celebrate 145 years of diplomatic relations through events that will showcase the richness of the two cultures and the interactions between them.</p>
<p><em><a href="mailto:radu@romania-insider.com">radu@romania-insider.com</a></em></p>
<p><em>(Photo source: Michel Barnier on X)</em></p>