More than 9,800 companies with French capital, on Romanian market, end-January

 

The meeting was organized at the request of the Embassy of the French Republic and aimed to analyse the stage of economic cooperation between the two states, as well as to identify ways in which bilateral trade relations can be stimulated.

 

"Starting with January 2022, France will take over, for six months, the Presidency of the Council of Europe, on which occasion a series of events are planned, including with the Romanian side. Thus, 'The Franco-Romanian Economic Forum: Stories that change the game' will be organised in Constanta, in June, aimed at capitalizing on the local and regional potential, the development of new business opportunities, the promotion of French expertise and the emphasis of the importance of the Franco-Romanian community contribution in the two states' economies," Mihai Daraban said.

 

In her turn, Laurence Auer stated that Romania can become an important hub for goods coming or leaving from Europe due to its geographical position.

 

"From a logistical point of view, the Port of Constanta can facilitate routes to the states from the community space and not only. Moreover, a very competitive alternative in terms of costs is the Danube River, the goods can be easily moved to the states in Central or Western Europe. It is very important that at the level of the European Union there is a strategy for the development of the Danube region, with an emphasis on the modernization of the multi-modal river infrastructure, French companies having a rich experience in this field," said Laurence Auer.

 

According to the National Trade Register Office (ONRC) data, the total volume of Romania-France trade amounted to 7.25 billion euros, at the end of November 2020. France represented Romania's third export destination, with a share of 6.6 percent of total exports and the sixth most important country of origin of imports, with a share of 4.7 percent of the total. The overall value of French direct investments at the end of 2019 was almost 5.5 billion euros.