Lili Granitska, Mediapool, 19 July 2023
Last week Bulgarian Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov held a meeting with his Romanian counterpart Marcel Ciolacu in Bucharest. The main topics of discussion were Schengen, the war in Ukraine, strengthening NATO’s eastern flank and joint infrastructure projects. On this occasion, we talk to Romania’s ambassador to our country, Brăndușa Ioana Predescu.
What are the priority infrastructure projects between the two countries that Romania is keen on implementing?
In early 2023 Romania and Bulgaria decided to create a new consolidated framework for their bilateral relations at the level of strategic partnership. This includes significantly improving connectivity across the common border in transport, infrastructure, energy, telecommunications, etc.On transport infrastructure, the two governments are working on the development of several projects to increase mobility at regional level and to fully exploit the transport potential of the Danube.
Building a new bridge over the Danube is, of course, on the agenda of the talks between the two countries. A thorough analysis is currently being carried out for the construction of a third bridge over the Danube in the Giurgiu-Ruse area. Work is under way to define the technical aspects to be included in the agreement to be signed between the two parties.In parallel and in close connection with this, work is underway to further implement the FAST DANUBE project, which aims to ensure year-round navigability on the Danube and whose relevance has increased significantly in the context of Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine and the need to identify new transit routes for Ukrainian grain. (On Monday, 17 July 2023, Russia announced that it was suspending its participation in the deal allowing the export of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea.)
The project to open a new ferry border crossing in the Giurgiu-Ruse area is also at an advanced stage. An agreement on this was signed on 29 April 2022 between the transport ministers of the two countries and the border crossing will be operational soon. This will contribute significantly to facilitating traffic in one of the busiest areas of the Romanian-Bulgarian border.These are just a few examples of joint Romanian-Bulgarian transport projects, the implementation of which, we are convinced, will contribute to facilitating traffic in the common border area.We believe that an ongoing dialogue between the two ministries of transport has the potential to further boost the progress of such projects, which are of great importance to both countries and the entire region.
Romania is a border country in terms of the war in Ukraine. Is Romanian society divided on military support for the Ukrainians? What security measures are you taking in the border areas?
Romania strongly condemns Russia’s illegitimate and unlawful war of aggression in Ukraine, which it considers to be an aggression against the entire democratic community and the rules-based international order.Our country is extremely interested and committed to help Ukraine win this war and to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia. This is Romania’s contribution to defending its own interests, safeguarding global democracy and the Euro-Atlantic security architecture.Romania’s support to Ukraine is significant and multi-dimensional and will continue to be implemented within these parameters. I am referring not only to bilateral support or EU initiatives in relation to Ukraine – military and financial assistance, sanctions against the aggressor state – but also to the support Romania is giving Ukraine for the earliest possible accession to the European Union, together with the Republic of Moldova, as well as the support Romania has given and will continue to give Ukraine with a view to its integration into NATO, and the fact that we are members of the Main Initiative Group for the establishment of an International Tribunal for the Punishment of Criminal Military Aggression Committed against Ukraine.
The reaction of the Romanian people to the suffering inflicted on the Ukrainians by Russia’s aggression is in itself indicative – solidarity, empathy and support. In fact, it is the only possible reaction in the face of the enormous human tragedy, human sacrifice and unprecedented destruction that is taking place in Ukraine.
Bulgaria and Romania are still outside Schengen. At one point, there was even talk of separating the two countries. How does Bucharest assess the chances of the two countries joining Schengen together?
I would like to remind you that in the context of the visit of the President of Romania Klaus Iohannis to Sofia on March 15 this year, at the invitation of Bulgarian President Rumen Radev, the two heads of state signed a document that elevates the cooperation between the two countries to the level of a strategic partnership and agreed to continue the joint efforts to join the Schengen area this year.Romania and Bulgaria meet all the criteria for joining the Schengen area and Romania will certainly continue to work with its European partners to find a constructive solution to achieve this goal by the end of this year.
Romania was the first to introduce the principle of rotation of prime ministers. What does this experience show in your country?
Exceptional situations call for innovative solutions, including in politics. The rotation of government was the solution found by Romanian political parties to ensure the stability and effectiveness of governance in a complex geopolitical context with multiple security challenges, where the pursuit of national interests required effective solutions for the coordination of political actors.Throughout this period, Romania has benefited from this solution and still has a stable government. Therefore, we can consider that the rotation of government is a successfully implemented political mechanism. Moreover, it has ensured predictability and efficiency in the government’s actions and has contributed to the country’s development in a very difficult period.
The Romanian economy has made huge strides forward in recent years and Bucharest is no longer at the bottom of the EU rankings in terms of living standards, while Bulgaria cannot peel off. What are the factors for this success? What has Romania done to achieve this impressive result?
There are several elements that underpin the positive performance of the Romanian economy, and these are found in the economic policies and mechanisms as well as in the political and business environment in the country.Their good functioning and stability have made it possible to contain the crisis caused by the war in Ukraine effectively and even to exploit some commercial opportunities arising in the new geopolitical context.Economic growth can be explained by the significant increase in gross fixed capital formation, the increase in private consumption, the absorption of EU funds, but also by the attraction of direct investment.It is worth noting that foreign direct investment in Romania increased by 33.37% in 2022, to EUR 10.698 billion compared to EUR 8.021 billion the previous year, according to data from the National Bank of Romania. (For comparison, foreign direct investment in Bulgaria last year amounted to EUR 2.378 billion, an increase of over 86% from a year earlier, according to Bulgarian National Bank data.)Also, the Romanian economy has been able to cope better with the energy price crisis because it has its own resources and is one of the countries with the lowest energy dependence on other sources, including the Russian Federation.
The Bulgarian insurance company Euroins has accused the Romanian insurance watchdog of corruption and abuse in connection with the bankruptcy of its subsidiary in Romania. Are such allegations justified?
It is beyond any doubt that the Romanian authorities and agencies operate in full transparency and in compliance with Romanian and European legislation.It is regrettable that a company with such a high reputation and market value in its home country has found itself in such a situation through its Romanian subsidiary, which has also been confirmed by the European Supervisory Agency.Romania remains open to foreign investment in all areas, especially when it comes from countries with which we are partners in the European Union and very good neighbours, like Bulgaria.
Many Romanians visit Bulgarian resorts. What does your data show about the number of Romanian tourists? Why Bulgaria is one of the preferred destinations?
For more than 10 years Romania has continued to be the country with the most tourists in Bulgaria. According to Bulgarian statistics, in 2022, 819,841 Romanian tourists out of a total of 7,621,234 people, who are registered in Bulgarian accommodation. This is an increase of 54.7% compared to 2021. The trend continues in the current year. In the first quarter of 2023, the number of Romanian tourists increased by 75.8% compared to the same period a year earlier. The data show that 51 006 Romanian tourists out of a total of 1 362 785 foreigners visited Bulgaria in the period January – March this year.We believe that the great presence of Romanian tourists in Bulgaria is due to the proximity, the belonging to the same European space, the common culture and history, the similarity of culinary features, the climatic advantages of the location of the Bulgarian coast, the long length of the coast and, last but not least, the quality/price ratio of Bulgarian products and services.
Photo: The Romanian ambassador to Bulgaria Her Excellency Mrs. Brândușa Ioana Predescu (source: Romanian embassy in Sofia)
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