Romania is a safe destination where you can bring your money and make a profit, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, on a working visit to London, has told British investors.

The head of the Bucharest executive attended the opening of the Romania-UK Economic Forum, alongside the Lord Mayor of London, Alastair King.

"I am particularly honoured to open this Forum together with the Lord Mayor and the representatives of the Romanian and British business environment. It is the perfect moment, after 17 years since the last visit of a Romanian prime minister to the United Kingdom, to send a strong signal that we are ready to give a new dimension to our strategic dialogue. The organisation of this Bilateral Economic Forum must be the turning point for the Romanian-British Strategic Partnership, which started more than 20 years ago, to find a much more concrete application in terms of investments and joint economic projects," said Marcel Ciolacu.

He emphasised that the excellent bilateral dialogue at all levels is based on the long and deep Romanian-British friendship, built up over time and strengthened through permanent dialogue.

"There are solid historical ties, but I believe that the most important connection today is undoubtedly the large Romanian community here. Over 1.2 million Romanians have chosen to live, study or work in the United Kingdom. They are people who actively contribute to the development of British society and economy. People who excel both academically and professionally, the Romanian community being well integrated in many important sectors, such as: the financial-banking system, the business environment, the health system, construction or IT. Thus, the Romanian language has reached the top three most spoken languages in England and Wales," said Ciolacu.

The Romanian prime minister pointed out that it is in his interest to reduce the number of Romanians who go abroad to work, given that Romania's economy needs professional, serious and reliable people, on whom any company can rely.

"This is why I say it directly, as you say to friends: my interest as prime minister is to reduce the number of Romanians who go abroad to work. And, in order for that to happen, I would like us to succeed today in convincing more and more heads of large British companies that Romania is a very good country for investment. In this way, we have a win-win relationship: you find new development opportunities in Romania, and we keep our workforce at home and grow the local economy," Ciolacu said.

As an argument, he specified that in recent years the development of the Romanian economy has brought the level of income in many industries close to the European average.

"There are areas where we have even exceeded this level. We have salaries of 2-3,000 euros for engineers, but also for other professional categories. We are building motorways, hospitals and modern schools, we are increasing the quality of public services," Ciolacu emphasised.

In the same context, the prime minister highlighted the potential of cooperation in the field of energy.

"For example, bilateral trade increased by about 9 percent in the first seven months of the year. Moreover, in the current very complex global context related to sustainable energy production, I cannot but welcome the UK's interest in Romania. Among the major investments in the Romanian market, I would give the example of Rezolv Energy which, through the investment in Arad, will build the largest solar energy park in Europe. We are the second energy independent country in the EU, with only 28 percent imports, compared to the EU average of 57 percent. In addition, Romania is the second largest gas producer in the EU and our objective is to become energy independent by 2030. This is a major advantage for any investor. So - my message to you is simple and clear: Romania is a safe destination where you can bring your money and make profit!," said Ciolacu.

The prime minister added that the government in Bucharest would like Romania to be a key partner of the United Kingdom in the Black Sea region in economic and energy terms.

"We wish to turn Romania into a regional hub at the Black Sea, a provider of stability, a promoter of democracy, as well as a key player in areas such as energy, digitalisation and defence. We thus want to be a key partner of the UK in the Black Sea region in economic and energy terms. This is also true in the light of the future reconstruction process in Ukraine," Marcel Ciolacu affirmed.

The prime minister also pointed out the importance of projects aimed at the transition to green economy and innovative technologies.

"Romania is in the process of transition towards a green economy, which implies changes in business models by putting the emphasis on investments in innovative technologies. We see significant potential for cooperation, for example, in developing support for SMEs. We can build business incubators together and exchange best practices in the field of financing and support policies for the entrepreneurial sector, technology transfer and digitalisation," premier Ciolacu went on to say.

At the end of his speech, he conveyed the firm message of the Romanian Government to work together more concretely.

"I want us to identify the best solutions, adapted both to today's challenges and opportunities. So I wish you much success for today's work. I am convinced that the debates at this Economic Forum will be pragmatic, generating innovative ideas and opening up new opportunities of common interest!," Prime minister Ciolacu added. AGERPRES (RO - author: Daniel Florea, editor: Mihai Simionescu; EN - editor: Simona Iacob)