NEWSLETTER No 8 Embassy of Romania in Belgium October -December 2014 Romania’s New President As a result of the two rounds of Presidential Elections, on November 2 and 16 2014, the new President of Romania is Mr. Klaus-Werner Iohannis, the candidate of the Christian Liberal Alliance (ACL). The investiture ceremony takes place on Sunday, 21st of December, in the Romanian Parliament. (Agerpres) Voting in Belgium omania in BelgiumAt the first presidential elections round, the total number of Romanian citizens who voted in Belgium was 6452, of which 6419 ballots were valid. By candidates, the votes were: Klaus-Werner Iohannis - 3015 votes, Victor Ponta – 577, Elena Udrea – 524, Calin Popescu-Tariceanu – 272, Corneliu Vadim Tudor – 191, Dan Diaconescu – 116. The rest was divided between the other candidates. At the second round of elections, the total number of Romanian citizens who voted in Belgium was 13 082, of which 13 040 ballots were valid. Klaus-Werner Iohannis won 12 222 votes, Victor Ponta won 818 votes. Government Reshuffle The new government proposed by Prime Minister Victor Ponta has been validated on Monday, 15 December, by the joint Chambers of the Parliament with 377 to 134 votes. The new cabinet is as follows: The opening of the Integrated Centre for Advanced Laser Gabriel Oprea (deputy-prime minister, Interior), Liviu Dragnea (Regional Development), Daniel Constantin (Agriculture), Rovana Technologies (CETAL) at the Magurele-based National Plumb (Labour), Nicolae Banicioiu (Health), Mihai Tudose (Economy), Institute for Laser, Plasma & Radiation Physics Darius Valcov (Finances), Robert Cazanciuc (Justice), Eugen On 21 October, Prime Minister Victor Ponta Teodorovici (European Funds), Ioan Rus (Transports), Ioan Vulpescu and Johannes Hahn, Commissioner for (Culture), Bogdan Aurescu (Foreign Affairs), Mircea Dusa (Defence), Regional Policy, attended the opening of the Gabriela Szabo (Sports and Youth), Sorin Grindeanu Integrated Centre for Advanced Laser (Communications), Angel Tilvar (Diaspora), Eugen Nicolicea (Relation Technologies (CETAL) at the Magurele-based with the Parliament), Sorin Cimpeanu, (Education), Andrei Gerea National Institute for Laser, Plasma & (Energy and SMEs), Gratiela Gavrilescu (Environment), Liviu Pop Radiation Physics. Prime Minister Ponta (minister-delegate for Social Dialogue) (Nine O’Clock) stated his wish to see a true Laser Valley growing in the area, in the upcoming years. The Extreme Light Infrastructure - Nuclear Physics (ELI - Minister of Foreign Affairs Bogdan Aurescu attends the NP) project on building the most advanced infrastructure worldwide is North-Atlantic Council aimed at studies on extreme light photonic radiation. The first stage of The Minister of Foreign Affairs, the project is co-financed by the EU, based on an agreement reached with Bogdan Aurescu, participated on the National Authority for Scientific Research. (Government of Romania) December 2 to the North-Atlantic The first visit of the Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Council of Ministers of Foreign The new Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs. The meeting agenda focused st Affairs visited on 1 of December 2014, the on the implementation of the National Day of Romania, the Republic of decisions taken at the NATO Summit Moldova, where he was received by Mr. held in UK, focusing on the Alliance Action Plan to enhance response Nicolae Timofti, the President of the level, and on the NATO response to risks arising from the Alliance's Republic, Prime-Minister Iurie Leancă and Eastern Neighbourhood. The head of Romanian diplomacy reviewed the vice-prime-minister, minister of foreign affairs and European the security developments on NATO's Eastern flank, with a focus on Integration, Natalia Gherman. (MFA) the extended Black Sea region. (MFA) Romania will take over the Presidency of International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance On 4 December 2014, Romania was designated to take over the Presidency of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) in 2016. The decision was taken by consensus by the 31 IHRA member states at the plenary meeting hosted in Manchester by the Organization's British Presidency. IHRA, formerly called ITF (Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research), is an inter-governmental organization founded in 1998 at the initiative of the Swedish Prime Minister Göran Persson. Appointing Romania to take over the Presidency of the Organization is the expression of the recognition of the efforts made by the Romanian authorities to preserve the memory of the Holocaust (MFA) Trends in Romania’s economy Updated macroeconomics Romania According to Bloomberg, Constanta harbour is emerging as Europe’s rd biggest grain transport hub GDP: increased by 1.9% at the end of the 3 nd Constanta, whose natural harbour on the Black Sea has welcomed ships since at least the trimester comparatively to the 2 trimester sixth century B.C., is emerging as Europe’s biggest grain transport hub in the $4.2 billion GDP growth estimates for 2014: approx. 145,4 global wheat trade, announced Bloomberg on October 17. Grain volume passing through the billions Euro, representing + 2,4% port was up 30 percent by August from a year earlier and will top last year’s record by year end, according to port spokeswoman Monica Velicu. Cargill Inc., the largest closely held U.S. Inflation rate: 1,54% Company and freight handler Transport Trade Services SA, that finalized in August an investment of 15 million Euro and more than doubled grain capacity at their Canopus Star Exchange rate: 4.45 RON (December 11) terminal at Constanta from 50 000 tonnes to 110 000 tones. (Bloomberg, Mediafax) Estimated budget deficit for 2014: under 2%; 1.3 % at the end of the 3rd trimester Latest figures on economic exchanges Romania – Belgium The value of the bilateral trade increased up to 1288.74 million Euro within the first 7 months International trade for the first 9 months of 2014. The exports accounts for 539.17 million Euro (increasing with +3.17% compared to 2014: exports grew by 7.1% compared to the the same period of 2013), and the imports, for 749.56 millions of Euro (increasing with same period of 2013, and imports by 6.6%. +4.59%). Unemployment rate: 5.11% (end of September On September 30, the number of Romanian companies with Belgian capital increased up to 2014), with less - 0.38% than September 2013 3181. The total invested capital (direct investments from Belgian companies) is 324.11 million Euros (ranked 17th among foreign investors in Romania). The main sectors of investments were: industry, services, trade, tourism, agriculture, construction and transport. Romania plans to build 230 million Euro Gas Pipeline to transport natural gas Black Sea Ferry Line Constanta - Batumi (Georgia) - Ilyichevsk (Ukraine) from the Black Sea was inaugurated on October 16 Romanian Energy Minister underlined on Black Sea ferry line that will link Romania’s Constanta port to December 2 the importance of building the 230 Batumi (Georgia) and Ilyichevsk (Ukraine) ports was million-euro Dobrogea-Podisor natural gas inaugurated on October 16, in the presence of Iulian Matache, pipeline. Romania hopes to finalize the project state secretary, Ministry of Transport and officials from Georgia with the support of the European Commission. The and Ukraine. During the official ceremony, the Ro- pipeline would bring Black Sea natural gas into the Ro/Rail/Passenger ferry Greifswald, the largest in the world, Romanian transportation system. OMV Petrom arrived in the port of Constanta from Ilyichevsk and started its Company and ExxonMobil Group discovered in journey to Batumi. The transport connection will function with 2012 in the Black Sea a deposit estimated at 42-84 ships of Ukrferry LLC, which is the actually ship-owner of Ro-Ro ferry line in partnership with billion cubic meters of gas. Gas production from the Romanian company Romcargo Maritim in Constanta, initiator and manager of the new the bedding is expected to begin towards the end shipping line. (Sources: Ziarul Financiar, The Romania Journal) of this decade. (Sources: Mediafax, Stratfor) New meeting of CAROMB – Romanian-Belgium Business Club On December 4, the founders of the Romania-Belgium Business Club CAROMB met in Anvers to the LANGE WAPPER Club to sign the new Statute of the CAROMB, in the presence of Romania’s Ambassador in Belgium and of the economic counsellor of the Embassy, as honorary members of the Club. The aim of CAROMB is to create and develop a business network useful for investors, entrepreneurs and managers that have businesses in Belgium and/or in Romania or for those businessmen interested into developing new projects both in Romania and Belgium. More information about the Club at: www.caromb.eu The participation of the Economic Counsellor of the Embassy to the launch of the Review “The European Times Magazine Latest edition - Romania 2014” (Maastricht, 18 November 2014) On18 November 2014, the representative of the Economical and Commercial Office (ECO) of the Embassy participated to the launch of the journal The European Times Magazine, Latest edition - Romania 2014. The event was organized by the Company Big Media Group in Belgium that is also the Editor of the review. On this occasion, the representative of the ECO delivered a short presentation of the Romanian economy and of the investment opportunities in Romania Our activities International colloquium dedicated to prince and scholar Meeting of the Ambassador of Romania with Pascale Dimitrie Cantemir Delcomminette, Administrator General of WBI and AWEX At a meeting on 4 November, the Ambassador of Romania and Pascale Delcomminette, the new Administrator General of Wallonie- Bruxelles International (WBI) and the Walloon Agency of Exports and Investments (AWEX) made a review of the activities and events organized in 2014 by the Embassy and encouraged the further development of relations between Romania and the Walloon region particularly in the area of clusters. Romania is interested in transferring the Walloon experience in the area of clusters and competition poles to the sectors of the Romanian economy with highest potential for development.