Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu is currently paying a working visit to the UK, in which context he has scheduled meetings with the British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, with the Speaker of the House of Commons, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, and with the Lord Mayor of London, Alastair King, informs Agerpres.
According to a press release of the Government sent to AGERPRES, on the occasion of his visit on Tuesday and Wednesday to London, the Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu will also participate in the Romania - Great Britain Economic Forum.
The Prime Minister will then visit the Romanian Church and he will meet with members of the Romanian community in Great Britain.
"The Romanian Government is interested in strengthening the Strategic Partnership with the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on all levels of bilateral interest and adapted to current challenges and opportunities. The Romanian community in the United Kingdom is a large one, and the promotion of the rights of our compatriots is a vital pillar of bilateral cooperation," said Marcel Ciolacu, quoted in the press release.
It is the first visit of a Romanian PM to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland after 17 years, the Executive reminded.
The official delegation will also include the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Luminita Odobescu, the Minister of National Defence, Angel Tilvar, the Minister of Economy, Entrepreneurship and Tourism, Radu Oprea, the Minister of Energy, Sebastian Burduja, the Honorary Councilor Victor Negrescu, Vice-President of the European Parliament, and the Counsellor of State Nicolae Comanescu.
The bilateral relationship between Romania and Great Britain is governed by the Strategic Partnership, launched on June 26, 2003, revised in 2011 and updated on March 23, 2023, by signing a Joint Declaration at the level of foreign affairs ministers.
The Romanian community in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is estimated to have over 1.2 million people.
Romania is represented in the United Kingdom through the Embassy in London and three consulates general - in London, Manchester and Edinburgh. Currently, steps are being taken to operationalize the Consulate General in Birmingham and a consular office in Belfast to serve Northern Ireland.
According to the press release, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is one of the most important trading partners of Romania and the first in the top of the countries with which our country has a trade surplus (1.6 billion euros in 2023 and one billion euros in the first seven months of 2024).
For 2024, a total exchange value of over 4 billion euros is estimated. Among the top products exported by Romania are those from the automotive category. UK data shows that, at the end of 2023, trade has reached 10 billion euros (goods and services). In the first seven months of 2024, provisional data indicate a trade value of 2.42 billion euros, which represents an increase in bilateral trade by 8.84%. According to the National Trade Registry Office, on June 30, 2024, 7,011 commercial companies with British capital were registered in Romania.