U.S. companies hand Romanian PM "roadmap to prosperity", aimed at strengthening commercial relations

The American-Romanian Business Council (AMRO) and the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) presented to Romanian Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu a roadmap for renewing and strengthening bilateral economic relations between the United States and Romania. AMRO and CEPA, both based in Washington, DC, have also presented the recommendations to President Donald Trump and his administration, according to a press release by AMRO. Prime Minister Grindeanu met on Wednesday with a delegation representing U.S. companies with interests in Romania led by AMRO president Eric Stewart. AMRO is an NGO that promotes commercial relations between U.S. and Romania. The full list of AMRO members is available here. "AMRO and CEPA convened in Washington a panel of top-level Romania experts in business and policy to identify the five priorities and additional specific actions outlined in our Roadmap to Prosperity," Stewart said. "A bilateral economic and commercial agenda based on these priorities will lead to a mutually beneficial increase in jobs and investment in both the United States and Romania." The five priorities are: continued business environment improvements in Romania; high-level bilateral government engagement and dialogue on commercial matters; greater cooperation in developing strategic security capabilities, including energy; support for a Romanian education and health system that strengthens economic competitiveness; and assistance for pioneer Romanian investments in the United States. "Our countries have always been very good friends and we hope our economic relationship to become as good as the political one. Romania has many competitive advantages, most notably the education," Stewart also said. Prime Minister Grindeanu also said that the strategic partnership between US and Romania would undergo a significant development from an economic standpoint as well. "We have talked concrete things, specific projects that we can develop and that we will develop in the coming years (...), including in the healthcare sector, defense, transports, energy, finance, and so on," Grindeanu said. AMRO president Eric Stewart presented the letter to Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu at a meeting during the organization’s Fifth Annual Business Mission to Romania. The delegation this year comprises thirteen American companies: Amgen, Archer Daniels Midland, Bell Helicopter, The Boeing Company, ExxonMobil, General Dynamics, Medtronic, Mega Company, MetLife, Oshkosh Defense, Pfizer, Smithfield Foods, and Timken. The representatives of these companies were to have to days of meetings with Romanian government officials to discuss cooperation opportunities in their fields. The AMRO letter acknowledges Romania's good economic results and the progress made in improving the business environment and making it more predictable. "Accordingly, U.S. companies are increasingly looking to invest and do business in Romania. American direct investment in Romania amounts to USD 2.6 billion overall in 2015. This is far less than the market potential and we believe that a new impulse should be given to expanding American economic presence in Romania and enabling mutual growth and business development," reads the