said<\/a>.<\/p>\nHe also noted that both countries confront economic pressures, including high energy prices. Thus, he mentioned the importance of European-level solutions and pointed to the Neptun Deep offshore gas project, where OMV Petrom plays a leading role, as essential for strengthening Europe\u2019s energy security.<\/p>\n
Further on, Stocker also stressed that Vienna and Bucharest remain aligned in backing Ukraine, insisting that any future peace agreement must involve Kyiv directly and must not be imposed from the outside.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe must also intensify our cooperation in the bureaucratic field, to achieve better laws and eliminate those regulations that weaken us in economic competition. Our companies must be able to rely on policies focused on growth rather than on fulfilling unnecessary conditions. Effective measures are also needed to combat climate change in a globalized world,\u201d Christian Stocker stated.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to develop a global capital market, and in the area of migration, Ilie, I would like to thank you very much for Romania\u2019s contribution to protecting the European Union\u2019s external borders and combating illegal migration. This is reflected in the significantly reduced number of asylum applicants.\u201d<\/p>\n
In turn, prime minister Ilie Bolojan said the discussions demonstrated the two governments\u2019 determination to inject \u201cnew momentum\u201d into political and economic cooperation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He noted that Austrian companies in Romania provide more than 100,000 jobs and that bilateral trade reached around EUR 6 billion last year. Despite a decade of growth amounting to more than 60% in investment and trade, Bolojan said there remains \u201csignificant untapped potential,\u201d which he plans to explore further alongside Stocker in meetings with businesses from both countries.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe energy sector is an essential area of our economic cooperation, with Austrian companies playing an important role. I discussed with the chancellor how we can improve interconnections in our region in order to ensure a functional European energy market and find solutions to reduce the high prices we are currently facing, so that this market can operate more efficiently. This is an important issue for Romania, and I welcome the chancellor\u2019s openness to working together,\u201d Bolojan said.<\/p>\n
The prime minister also highlighted opportunities for joint Romanian-Austrian involvement in future reconstruction efforts in Ukraine through the EU Strategy for the Danube Region.<\/p>\n
Further on, Bolojan welcomed Austria\u2019s continued backing for OECD accession and pointed to broader cooperation in education, culture, research and innovation, including expanding vocational training partnerships.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He also underscored the importance of the Romanian community in Austria, which is now the second-largest foreign resident group, calling it a \u201cpillar\u201d of the bilateral relationship and advocating further support for Romanian-language education abroad.<\/p>\n
On European security, both leaders discussed developments in the Black Sea region, the need to secure a \u201cjust peace\u201d for Ukraine, and the importance of accelerating EU enlargement, including opening negotiations with Moldova and progressing with Ukraine and the Western Balkans. They also reviewed negotiations on the EU\u2019s next budget, stressing adequate financing for cohesion, agriculture, and competitiveness.<\/p>\n
Ilie Bolojan invited chancellor Stocker to visit Bucharest next year to continue the talks.<\/p>\n
irina.marica@romania-insider.com<\/p>\n
(Photo source: Gov.ro)<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Romanian prime minister Ilie Bolojan and Austrian chancellor Christian Stocker met in Vienna for talks focused on economic cooperation, regional security, and Romania\u2019s path toward joining the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), with Austria reaffirming its full support for the bid. In a joint press conference on Thursday, December 4, chancellor Stocker described […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8014","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8014","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8014"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8014\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8014"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8014"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8014"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}