Publicat pe 02/05/2017

Bucharest, April 28^th: The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Romania, in partnership with the Canadian Embassy in Romania and Europuls – European Expertise Center, organized a workshop on ” “Implications of the Economic and Trade Agreement between Canada and the European Union (CETA) on the Romanian economy”. The event took place during the fifth edition of the Eurosfat Forum, the largest annual European Business Forum in Romania, on April 28^th, 2017, at the Marriott Hotel in Bucharest.

E.S. the Canadian Ambassador to the European Union, Mr. Daniel Costello said at the opening of the event that there were many obstacles and difficulties in completing the CETA agreement so that: “we also needed to look and listen to the views and needs of the business environment. (…) I believe that, for the most part, the real benefits come into effect very quickly. CETA has national support in Canada among all governing parties and state regions. We hope that in the coming weeks we can benefit from many aspects of the agreement. (…) The advantages of the agreement are the expansion of trade transactions, the creation of new jobs, the development of the economy and prosperity, the opening of public procurement and not only”.

E.S. the Ambassador of Canada to Romania, Bulgaria and the Republic of Moldova, Mr. Kevin Hamilton, spoke about the importance of the CETA agreement and its implications: “For Romania, the immediate, notable impact of CETA will be to eliminate tariffs for all goods and services currently exported to Canada. (…) Romanian SMEs are export-oriented, accounting for up to 87% of the total number of Romanian exporters. Thus, SMEs will benefit fully from CETA’s benefits. Reducing barriers to trade, eliminating tariffs, simplifying customs procedures and many other benefits will simplify and reduce export costs. Smaller firms will be able to compete more easily with big companies, sell the same or similar products on both markets. The agreement will also open the Canadian market to Romanian companies and professionals, ensuring high mobility of capital and personnel”. Mr. Hamilton said that due to CETA there will be opportunities for the Romanian companies to participate in auctions, it will be possible to diversify the economy, Romania will soon become a European leader in services trade and the Romanian market will become even more attractive for Canadian companies in the field IT & C and the service sector.

Foreign Affairs Counselor of the President of CCIR, H.E. Mr. Lazar Comanescu, talked about the real benefits that this agreement brings to Romanian companies. Also, Mr. Comanescu said that “CETA can be seen as a bilateral relationship between the EU and Canada, between Romania and Canada, but especially in these times, it can be seen as a framework and perspective for the future of the European Union because, from my point of view, CETA is a success and demonstrates the strength and values of the EU once the EU acts as a unitary one. (…) I hope the CETA’s success contributes to the revival of those who are struggling to further liberalize international trade. (…) I believe that the CETA has enough ingredients to represent an argument or proof of how important trade is, as well as economic agents, in global security as a whole”.

 Background:

 The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement between the European Union and Canada will create new and far-reaching opportunities for both the European Union and Canada, open up new markets for exporters, generate high-quality jobs for employees, and strengthen the existing relations between the economy of Canada and the economies of the EU Member States.

The European Union-Canada Trade Treaty (CETA) will generate significant opportunities for Romanian businessmen who intend to develop projects with Canadian partners.

EUROSFAT is an annual forum for debates on various European policy issues that have been taking place in Romania since 2013. The objective of the event is to bring together politicians, diplomats, activists, representatives of the business environment, researchers, experts and citizens to Debates the key aspects of the European agenda, thus facilitating the positioning of Romanian actors within the EU. EUROSFAT was represented by influential political actors at national and European level as well as important representatives of business and civil society.