Good morning everyone.
I am very pleased to have welcomed Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu and his Ministers to Rome today, for the third intergovernmental summit between Italy and Romania. 13 years have passed since the last time we met in this format and I must say I am particularly proud that we are bridging that gap today, because Italy and Romania are nations united by very strong relations and age-old cultural ties. Our peoples have a lot in common, also considering their shared Latin heritage (it is no coincidence that the extended bilateral meeting was held in the ‘Sala Roma’) and this has allowed our friendship to remain undiminished over time. 

This friendship can also be seen in the solid economic and trade relations between our nations. Italy is Romania’s second largest customer and second largest supplier and is the largest investor in Romania by number of registered companies. The fact that the Italian business community is so strongly rooted in Romania, with more than 50,000 companies, is clearly a tangible sign of how intense our relations are. Italy has a key presence in many sectors, particularly in strategic sectors: from energy to major infrastructure, the agri-food industry, banking services and healthcare.  

Just as there is a part of Italy in Romania, there is also an important part of Romania in Italy. As you know, the Romanian community is the largest foreign community in Italy, counting more than 1 million residents and making an extremely important contribution to our community.

This summit further strengthens our friendship and expands our cooperation in new sectors of common interest.

We have just signed a very significant joint declaration that broadens the scope of our strategic partnership and outlines new goals and new shared priorities. In addition to this declaration, there are also other important documents, with our Ministers signing seven more agreements (memoranda of understanding, technical agreements and letters of intent). These agreements regard very important areas: defence, police cooperation, justice, start-ups, cooperation in the field of nuclear energy, cybersecurity, tourism, civil protection, the training of civil servants.

One of the pillars of our partnership regards the strategic policy dimension, concerning our common security, which is all the more important in the context of a war taking place in the heart of Europe, directly on Romania’s borders. In this context, we have of course reaffirmed our full support for Ukraine. 

For my part, I confirmed to Prime Minister Ciolacu that we intend to continue actively contributing to the security of Romania and our eastern allies, as we have done thus far, as you know, through the national deployments guaranteed as part of NATO. We believe the Atlantic Alliance must continue to show cohesion and unity, and must do so in line with an all-encompassing approach to Euro-Atlantic security, and also by relaunching action along the Southern Flank.

We have also had the opportunity to discuss the main crisis scenarios, including the Middle East conflict. We are increasingly concerned about the recent developments, in particular for the safety of the hostages and for the protection of civilians in the area of Rafah, and about the risk of the conflict further escalating. Speaking on behalf of the Italian Government, we will take heed of the clear indication from the Italian Parliament and we will work towards this at international level, particularly as part of the Italian Presidency of the G7.
Together with Prime Minister Ciolacu, we have also confirmed our common focus on a region we consider strategic, and that is the Western Balkans. As you know, Italy considers the process of reunification with Europe for the nations in this region to be a priority. I am very pleased that this approach is also shared by Romania and that we also fully agree on the European Union accession path for Moldova, Ukraine and Georgia.

The internal dimension to security is also a key element of our relationship. We want to strengthen our cooperation to fight terrorism, cybersecurity threats, organised crime and criminal networks. We continue to believe in defending the Union’s external borders, relentlessly fighting human traffickers and building a new cooperation and development model with African nations, which, as you know, Italy is pursuing with its ‘Mattei Plan’. We believe this is the most effective response we can give at European level.

I wish to also thank Prime Minister Ciolacu for the great readiness and level of cooperation he has shown with regard to justice. There are many points on which our Ministers agree; I clearly can’t go through all of them but, for example, I think one of the important challenges we have set ourselves is the possibility for convicted prisoners, who have been given their final sentence in the respective countries, to be able to serve their time in their country of origin.

With today’s summit, we want to give new impetus to our economic and trade relations. As I have mentioned, the figures are extremely good but that is all the more reason not to stop here. We believe there is great unrealised potential. A Business Forum will be held this afternoon with over 200 leading Italian and Romanian companies in attendance. This initiative clearly goes precisely in this direction.

We consider our cooperation in the field of energy security to be equally as strategic. The recent signing of the agreement between Ansaldo Nucleare, SACE and Nuclearelectrica is very significant, in a sector that is particularly strategic for European development.

The agri-food industry is also fundamental, which is about both food security and cultural identity.

In short, this is a partnership that is becoming ever stronger, that is destined to grow. I see today’s summit as a new beginning, an event that can give a great boost to our relations, allowing us to explore new opportunities for mutual growth. During our meeting, we also confirmed our common desire to do this and to do so concretely and on a daily basis.
So, thank you very much, Prime Minister, and thanks to all the delegation for this wonderful day that marks a new beginning in the relationship between Italy and Romania.

[Courtesy translation]