The North-East Regional Office of the Romania-UK Chamber of Commerce and Industry was inaugurated in Iasi on Tuesday, with the main objectives of the association including export development, attracting investors and fostering partnerships in fields such as technology, manufacturing, energy and the pharmaceutical industry.

The official opening took place during the event 'The New Chapter', held in the Voivodes' Hall of the Palace of Culture, with the aim of helping companies across Romania's North-East Region enter the British market and facilitating access for UK investors to local economic opportunities.

Speaking to journalists at the event, Felicia Akkaya, president of the Romania-UK Chamber of Commerce and vice-president of the bilateral chambers of commerce in Luxembourg, explained that the institution's role should go beyond organizing meetings between companies and provide concrete support for business internationalization.

A chamber of commerce can no longer rely solely on B2B activities today. That is why it is important for us to organise as many activities as possible, including workshops for the companies concerned, to help them understand how to place their products on foreign markets, what permits they need and what steps they must take to make this happen smoothly, Felicia Akkaya told the press.

According to Akkaya, the new regional structure will support companies in Iasi both through chambers of commerce and through cooperation with employers' organizations.

Paul Butnariu, president of the Iasi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, welcomed the opening of the regional office, saying it could contribute both to attracting investment and to helping local businesses expand into the British market.

He said establishing a branch of a bilateral chamber of commerce is a positive development because it creates opportunities both to attract investors and to convince entrepreneurs in Iasi that they could develop their businesses and export to the United Kingdom.

Butnariu stressed that Britain's withdrawal from the European Union had not eliminated trade opportunities, but that making use of them required leveraging existing institutional and economic relations. He added that those relations should be used to promote projects and products.

Jeremy Newmark, leader of Hertsmere Borough Council, said the British delegation was seeking to build a strong partnership with local authorities and the business community in Romania.

Our delegation is here to build a strong and solid partnership between Hartsmere in the UK and this municipality here in Romania. In Hertsmere, we have a thriving film and television sector, a data cluster, a cloud-based economy driven by artificial intelligence, and significant activity in advanced manufacturing, aeronautics and major pharmaceutical companies. We believe that when local government and businesses work together across borders, opportunities are created to bring wealth and prosperity to our residents, our businesses and Europe, Newmark told the press.

The Iasi Regional Office will seek to develop trade and investment ties across a range of sectors, including digitalization, artificial intelligence and professional services, the automotive industry, engineering and manufacturing, energy and infrastructure, education, tourism, logistics, agriculture and consumer goods.

A key objective is to connect Romanian companies interested in exporting with British partners and facilitate access for UK investors to opportunities in Romania's North-East Region. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Daniela Malache; EN - writing by: Simona Klodnischi)