Romania is the only place in the European Union where energy-intensive industries will be able to exist, and this will make the country develop rapidly, Minister of Economy, Entrepreneurship, and Tourism Stefan Radu Oprea said on Thursday evening.
He emphasised that, in his opinion, Romania can develop and there will be no need to raise taxes next year.
„Romanian companies are growing, the Romanian entrepreneur has matured, we have started to expand more and more outside the country’s borders, to internationalise, to become a presence on regional markets, but I believe we need to aim for more than that. We need to aim to become a regional champion. (…) Generally, there is a lot of talk about programmes, projects, and the real public-private partnership between the Government and the business environment, about what the Government can do for the business environment. And probably this is a reflex of any politician. I want to talk to you about the fact that these programmes are just tools to achieve the objectives in the vision, in the strategy. (…) I believe that perhaps this is the only time, or one of the few times, when in our history geography is on our side. We are no longer a country at the edge of the European Union, we are a country in the centre, we are a country on the front line of new developments. And if we look carefully at the Draghi Report, which is the new Bible of the European Commission, you will see there that Romania has a unique opportunity, and its uniqueness is given by reindustrialisation,” said Oprea at the Gala of the 2024 National Ranking of Companies, an event organised by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Romania.
He pointed out that this reindustrialisation will rely on cheaper energy, with Romania’s energy going to be green, starting with hydroelectric power, followed by energy produced from gas, nuclear energy, and so on.
„More energy, certainly, must also mean cheaper energy, and this is one of the main reasons why European companies were no longer competitive. So Romania will have cheap energy. Romania will have it because we have an old tradition of oil and gas (…). But because not only geography but also geology is on our side, we have the possibility of carbon capture in Romania. The third thing is state aid schemes and the involvement of the Romanian Government to support Romania’s reindustrialisation. And this unique package makes Romania have a chance to stand out in the entire European landscape. It is the only place in Europe, in the European Union, where energy-intensive industries will be able to exist – we are talking about steel, cement, glass industries, etc. – and this is what will make Romania develop, develop rapidly, with an extraordinary chance. But together, we must feel this potential and know how to build it. I truly believe that Romania can develop and that there will be no need to raise taxes next year, and perhaps that should have been the first sentence I started with. But I believe it is better to be a conclusion rather than a beginning. Yes, taxes will not increase next year,” the minister pointed out.
AGERPRES
