Senatorul Titus Corlatean - APCE - 9.03.2011

Preşedintele Comisiei pentru politică externă, senatorul Titus Corlăţean, a participat miercuri, 9 martie a.c., în calitate de vorbitor principal, la sesiunea plenară ''Economic and investment climate and trade promotion in the GCC countries, Romania and South Est Europe'', din cadrul forumului economic ''Consiliul de Cooperare al Golfului - Oportunităţi de afaceri în Europa Centrală şi de Sud-Est'', organizat de Forum Invest.

În intervenţia sa, senatorul român a confirmat sprijinul Parlamentului de la Bucureşti pentru dezvoltarea proiectelor economice comune şi a investiţiilor ţărilor din zona Golfului în România.

Alături de Titus Corlăţean, au mai luat cuvântul în sesiunea plenară menţionată ministrul de externe Teodor Baconschi, guvernatorul BNR Mugur Isărescu, ministrul industriilor şi comerţului din Kuwait, Ahmad Rashed Al-Hauron, secretarul de stat pentru economie din Oman, Dr. Sheik Abdul Malik bin Abdullah Al Hinai.

Textul intervenţiei preşedintelui Comisiei pentru politică externă este anexat.

„I am honoured to address our distinguished guests representing the Government and business community in the Gulf countries, as well as the representatives of the different European and Romanian institutions and business environment present here at the first South East Europe - Gulf Cooperation Council Forum.

The event we are attending today belongs to a larger concept that spans for several years, and I was pleased to see the high level of political commitment on both sides - Romanian and Gulf countries, to engage in this extended dialogue that would hopefully lead to important and lasting co-operation projects.

I take this opportunity to reaffirm the important role the inter-parliamentary cooperation plays in boosting the cooperation between our countries and to create premises for exposing the investment climate in Romania and the region to the Gulf countries representatives. Together with my colleagues from the Romanian Parliament we are continuously promoting an open and close cooperation with countries in the Middle East and the Gulf region reflected in an intense agenda of bilateral contacts, and an active role in promoting business opportunities.

Previous speakers have mentioned the vast potential and many prospects for Gulf investors in Romania. I would like to extend this framework and refer to a more regional prospective - and invite companies from Gulf countries to take into consideration the Romanian market as a prime destination for their investments in terms of the opportunities to expand in our neighboring area of South East Europe and the Black Sea area.

The South-East Europe region has been suffering economically as a result of the global crisis.

Despite these problems, the region reacted to the crisis maturely and rather better than many expected. The event today has the merit to open new opportunities to attract investment needed to continue a sustainable development path in the region.

According to an OECD study released in 2010, limited access to finance is a major concern of entrepreneurs in SEE. While reliance on external financing has been increasing, FDI growth had been falling. Increased competition in the banking sector should reverse this trend.

SEE economies have considerably improved their legal frameworks on infrastructure. However, the presence of highways, even among the most advanced economies of the region, remains limited. Efforts are underway to raise the investment attractiveness of individual countries and the entire region. Underdeveloped rail networks are another characteristic. Also, broadband internet penetration is low in most SEE economies. Co-operation at the intra-regional level and enhancing infrastructure interconnections are a must for ensuring a sustainable business climate.

Tourism sector in the region suffered even before the crisis. As political stability of the region was restored, potential for both winter and summer tourism will largely increase.

We have to acknowledge that despite some improvements in trade facilitation, businesses still face hurdles in finding information on regional customs and trading procedures. This highlights a need for a more intense regional cooperation in the South Eastern European region for improving the transparency and public availability of information on customs regulations and procedural requirements.

Against this positive backdrop I would mention only few areas of engagement for Romanian and Gulf investors in the SEE region resulted from the contacts we had both at parliamentary level as well as with business representatives:

 Expanding the transport interconnections at regional level, taking into consideration the European main corridors and the need to strengthen the integration of the regional markets;

 Upgrading the infrastructure facilities in the main harbors in the Black Sea region, including the vast opportunities offered by the Danube river ports. From such a perspective Constanta could become a pivotal port for expanding connections between Central Europe and the countries in the Middle East and the Gulf region.

 Improving the tourism infrastructure as an engine for local sustainable development.

 Expanding cooperation and attracting investment in projects meant to better value the renewable energy potential in our region.

I would like to refer to the intrinsic relation between development in the South Eastern Europe, Black Sea region and the energy market. The goal of having safe, secure and sustainable energy supplies at affordable prices is resonant to the legitimate economic interests of all our countries.

Speaking about energy, by 2014, the European integrated energy market will come into force as the world's largest energy market. The regional integration of SEE countries into the European market is the only way ahead, as they heavily rely on imports to cover energy needs. Despite limited progress in the energy efficiency and renewable sector in these countries we should expect an enormous EU support for developing these specific policies.

I would like to highlight in particular Romania's policy with regard to energy diversification. Based on the position in the Black Sea basin, Romania's natural choice is to consistently promote the development of the Southern Corridor linking the Caspian and Middle East resources to the European market. Romanian energy market and infrastructure has indisputable competitive merits at regional level: it represents a third of the installed power capacity in South Eastern Europe, with a balanced mix of producers, a vibrant market and a resilient grid.

Projects such as Nabucco, the Pan European Oil Pipeline (PEOP), the direct transportation of energy resources across the Black Sea using LNG technology, but also the extension of interconnections with neighboring countries will increase not only Romania's energy security, but the energy security of the whole region.

The successful implementation of the diversification supply strategy depends on our intensified dialogue with Caucasus and Central Asian countries, as well as strengthening our cooperation with the Middle East.

When we speak about diversification we also consider the need to expand investment in gas interconnections and storage capacity. Romania presents a huge potential for expanding gas storage facilities as part of the larger equation of an increased energy security in South Eastern Europe.

I am sure this conference will create excellent premises for further discussions relative to these topics.

From a parliamentary perspective I can only reaffirm the full support and encouragement for both governmental representatives and business community to explore in a creative manner the huge potential of cooperation.

Romania will continue to represent a reliable partner in this region for expanding your investments and we are all looking forward with trust and hope to the results of this outstanding conference."