Strategic priorities

Romania has been a member of the North Atlantic Alliance since 2004 and of the European Union since 2007, and is currently implementing a series of reforms to become part of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, a major national foreign policy objective.

The dynamic economy, in constant development, is supported by: the funding that Romania benefits from as an European state; the state aid granted to investors; the favorable tax regime and the high human resource skills.

Together with government policies to support investments, these elements contribute to the creation of investment opportunities in Romania, in areas such as energy, transport, digitization and agriculture.

Cybersecurity for operational resilience, in the context of the Cloud paradigm, and the strategic approaches for the accelerated, sustainable and safe adoption of artificial intelligence are important and current topics in today’s social and economic context and represent central pawns, part of the activity of the Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digitization. 

In the context of the organization of the 3SI Business Forum, a series of achievements, factors, indicators and objectives proposed at the MCID level can form the basis for discussions and proposals with impact in the area of the economic and business environment in the 3 Seas region.

3. Infrastructure projects

The 3 Seas Initiative (3SI) aims to increase interconnectivity in the region, in the field of transport, by reducing the economic development gap between different areas and states of the EU.

With a major potential in economic recovery, the two projects of major strategic importance, RAIL2SEA and Via Carpathia, contribute significantly to the development of road and railway infrastructure, becoming a real benefit for the economies of the 3SI member states.

RAIL2SEA is developing a new standard of efficiency by digitizing and modernizing a 3.663 km long railway line connecting the Polish Port of Gdańsk on the Baltic Sea with the Romanian port of Constanța on the Black Sea.

Via Carpatia is a trans-European route under implementation, which will use the existing infrastructure to connect the Baltic Sea, the Black Sea and the Aegean Sea along the route of 1.702 km and 3 corridors on the territory of Romania: the Calafat - Vidin Bridge, the Constanța Port and the Galați Port.

The general objective of the project is to create a transport corridor from the North to the South of Europe and to strengthen transatlantic ties by integrating the transport system of the participating countries.

4. Nuclearelectrica’s strategic projects

Romania’s Nuclear Energy Program – a key pillar to secure energy security and social - economic development in 3 Seas Initiative Region

Worldwide, nuclear energy covers 10% of the total electricity demand, and this is expected to increase up to approx. 17% in the IEA Member States. Also, in the European Union, UK included, nuclear energy generates 50% of electricity without greenhouse gas emissions. The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that the GHG-free sources will provide up to 52% of usage by 2040 v 36% today.

Romania, having ambitious decarbonization targets - 55% fewer GHG emissions by 2030; reducing dependence on imports from 20.85 % down to 17.8 % by 2030; removal of up to 4.59 GWe of coal-based energy by 2032, and its replacement by clear energy sources – considers nuclear energy a key pillar for energy security and reaching its decarbonation targets.

In this context, SN Nuclearelectrica SA plays a key part attainment of Romania's objectives by increasing the capacity to generate energy from nuclear sources by 2030s. Thus, the company has in progress strategic investment projects of an estimated amount of EUR 12 billion, including: Refurbishment of Unit 1; the Project of Units 3 and 4; development of small modular reactors in partnership with the American company NuScale; and implementation of support projects for current operation, such as the Tritium Removal Plant. Nuclearelectrica's investment projects will bring clean energy to Romania's energy stability, social and economic development, development of the nuclear industry, as well as the training of a new generation of engineers.

Moreover, by developing its nuclear program, Romania can play a regional role in securing energy security, especially in the 3 Seas Region Initiative.

Currently, Nuclearelectrica plays a strategic part at the national level, with 2 nuclear units operating at the highest safety and productivity standards for 26 years, and covering:

• Approximately 18% of the total energy demand and 33% of the total CO2-free clean energy production, at national level

• 205 million tons of CO2 avoided from commissioning and 10 million tons of CO2 avoided every year

• More than 2,500 direct jobs, and more than 11,000 jobs generated by the industry

• EUR 5.7 billion contributed to the industry’s GDP, an amount that could keep all Romanian hospitals operating at excellence standards for one full year.

For almost 27 years, Romania has been internationally recognized for operating at high standards of nuclear safety and excellence, with Units 1 and 2 at the top, ranking 1st and 3rd among more than 440 nuclear units worldwide. All these are assets allow Romania to take a leading position in the regional nuclear industry and become a hub for the development and assembly of components for small modular reactors, a training center for future operators, a regional operator of choice, and a supporter of countries that intend to develop a nuclear programme, especially for the countries in the 3 Seas Initiative Region.