International Affairs

(photos Pierre Guersing)

On June 7th, the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce organised a Round Table on the occasion of the Romanian State Visit to Luxembourg in presence of H.E.Mr Klaus Iohannis, President of Romania. The president was accompanied by a high-ranking delegation of government officials.

At the round table were present a number of stakeholders, Luxembourg-based companies, various business federations, as well as representatives from the Romanian embassy in Luxembourg, the Luxembourg Ambassador to Romania as well as representatives from the Ministry of the Economy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Michel Wurth, Chairman of the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce, welcomed the President and his delegation by highlighting the longstanding friendship between Luxembourg and Romania on a cultural level. But also noted that the bilateral trade was lacking and that he hoped, through the round table, to raise awareness among Romanian and Luxembourg companies of the new prospects and opportunities that the respective markets have to offer in order to further strengthen the ties between the two countries. President Iohannis also mentioned that: “The current level of trade does not reflect the true potential of our economies” and suggested focusing on Entrepreneurship and Innovation to increase exchanges.

There are a number of sectors that both Luxembourg and Romania are pursuing: the automotive industry, construction, biotechnology, ICT and logistics. Carlo Thelen, Director General of the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce, presented the Luxembourg economy and Ian Cresswell from Luxinnovation presented the cluster initiative.

The Luxembourg companies that were present then had the opportunity to talk about their projects and activities in Romania. Carlo Thelen concluded that “this round table provided new impulse for economic exchanges and was a starting point for efficient partnerships and valuable synergies”.