On Monday 23rd March 2009 Handel Export will be facilitating a visit by representatives of the Romanian Ministry of Foreign trade to Belfast. The Ministry of Foreign trade will be represented by Mr Mircea Toader, Director General for Europe and will be accompanied by representatives form the commercial department of the Romanian Embassy in London. The purpose of the visit is to build trading links with Northern Ireland. It is hoped that this visit will be a precursor to future incoming business delegations from Romania, giving the the opportunity to meet and establish trading links with Northern Ireland companies. Romania joined the EU on the 1st January 2009 and has excellent opportunities across a wide range of industry sectors.

Romania has a population of 22 million and offers strong business opportunities in sectors such as construction, infrastructure, environment, ports, agriculture, security, oil and gas, energy, franchising, ICT and tourism. There are particularly good opportunities for companies working in civil engineering and infrastructure as Romania will receive €3.2 billion this year to fund such projects. Romanian companies in this sector are interested in forming joint venture partnerships with companies who have experience in accessing EU funding. In the energy sector, including renewable energy, total investment will rise by up to €35 billion by 2020 according to the Ministry of Economy and Finance. The European Union has earmarked €350 million for energy efficiency projects in Romania out of which € 150 million is allotted to renewable energy projects from 2007-2013. Romania is already a large producer of bio fuels and there are expectations that Romania my become the main exporter of ‘green fuel’  in Europe. Many major European companies in this filed have already substantial investments in the sector.

In the environmental sector, there are opportunities in water and waste water, waste management, pollution control equipment, soil remediation and air quality control. Agriculture is also an important sector in the Romanian economy employing around 35% of the workforce. 40% of EU funds allocated to Romania from 2007-2013 will be spent in the agricultural sector.

Romania represents an attractive European market for doing business in as it is a developing market and therefore tends to have less market saturation in many sectors, providing longer term opportunities for growth.

Handel Export provides a range of services for companies who want to break into the Romanian market. These include market research, identification of potential partners and customers, sales prospecting and lead generation, organisation of market visits and meeting itineraries as well as preparing company sales and marketing strategies for the Romanian market.

During the visit the Romanian delegation will meet with key business organisations including Invest NI, the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Enterprise Northern Ireland.

Companies interested in finding out more about doing business in Romania can contact us for further information and to discuss their particular requirements.