The Minister of Labor and Social Solidarity, Marius Budai, and his Spanish counterpart, Jose Luis Escriva Belmonte, signed a joint declaration of intent for collaboration in the field of social security between the relevant institutions of the two countries, according to Agerpres.

The document was signed on the occasion of the visit that the Romanian minister of Labor made to the Kingdom of Spain, between February 27 and March 2.

The declaration emphasizes the importance of labor force mobility between the two states and aims to promote policies of inclusion and social security, integration and information on the rights and duties of citizens, so as to contribute to the increase of social cohesion and the balanced development of society.

According to a press release from the Ministry of Labour, over one million Romanians now live in Spain, and more than 340,000 contribute to the Spanish social security system.

During the working visit to the Kingdom of Spain, minister Budai met with the president of the Committee for Labor, Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, Antonio Gomez-Reino Varela, with whom he discussed topics of common interest and looked for possibilities for parliamentary dialogue at the level of the Labor Committees of the Parliaments of the two countries.

Also, the minister of Labor and Social Solidarity had a meeting with the Bishop of Spain and Portugal, Timotei.

The official program also included a visit to a successful Romanian business in Spain, namely a company founded 18 years ago by a Romanian entrepreneur and which employs 128 Romanian citizens.

Also, many Romanians who work and live in Spain responded affirmatively to the Embassy’s invitation to discuss with the minister of Labor, Marius Budai, about the problems they face as foreign workers in Spain, the release states.

Agerpres