Romania believes in a more competitive Europe and, to this end, supports stronger partnerships with the United Kingdom, Foreign Affairs Minister Oana Toiu said on Monday during talks in London with UK Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs Yvette Cooper, the Romanian Foreign Affairs Ministry (MAE) informs.

'We share the vision of a more competitive Europe, and for us this objective means, first and foremost, stronger partnerships with the United Kingdom. (...) Today we agreed to launch, by this summer, a joint Romania-UK working group on trade and investment, as well as the roadmap for Romania's accession to the OECD in 2026. Two excellent developments confirm our concrete actions towards business-friendly reforms: today we published in the Official Gazette the final step to eliminate double taxation between companies in Romania and the UK - a ministerial order of the Foreign Ministry - and, also today, the fiscal policy milestone required for OECD accession was approved,' Toiu was quoted as saying in the MAE press release.

Oana Toiu and Yvette Cooper also discussed citizen security, the fight against organised crime, the Romanian language lectureship at Oxford University, and expanding access to Romanian language courses in UK schools.

They also expressed interest in continuing to build on the significant contribution of the more than 1.3 million Romanian citizens living in the United Kingdom to strengthening bilateral relations.

The two ministers reaffirmed their shared vision on peace and security, as well as their firm commitment to Euro-Atlantic security, including through the United Kingdom's participation, within NATO, in missions deployed on Romanian territory.

In the context of discussions on European and Euro-Atlantic security, minister Toiu stressed that Romania will prioritise strengthening capabilities, improving interoperability, boosting defence production and harnessing innovation, while ensuring complementarity between EU and NATO processes.

Enhancing economic cooperation with the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, one of Romania's most important strategic partners, was a key priority for the Romanian foreign minister during the London meeting.

According to available data, in the first ten months of 2025 trade in goods totalled EUR 3.48 billion, with the United Kingdom ranking 11th among Romania's foreign direct investors. The working group initiative is part of broader efforts to stimulate strategic investment in areas such as renewable energy, retail, healthcare, technology and IT.

A major positive development welcomed during the talks was the entry into force of the Convention between Romania and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland for the elimination of double taxation on income and capital gains. The agreement updates the legal framework previously governed by the bilateral convention signed in 1975.

To ensure swift and transparent implementation of the new rules, Toiu signed the ministerial order for publication in the Official Gazette on 29 January, completing the administrative steps required for businesses and citizens to benefit immediately from the convention.

The new Convention, which will take effect in Romania from January 2026, offers multiple advantages. Alignment with OECD standards provides British and Romanian investors with greater fiscal stability and predictability, transparent rules and anti-abuse protections - key conditions for attracting investment and expanding economic cooperation. It will also underpin cooperation between tax authorities to eliminate double taxation, enable information exchange and assistance in tax collection, and combat unfair tax practices between the two countries. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Oana Ghita; EN - writing by: Simona Iacob)