norteam romania
NO. 12, JULY 2007
newsletter
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information exchange network for all those who work with Norwegian-Romanian relations with special
emphasis on the promotion of Norwegian business and trade in Romania. Send us an e-mail if you want to
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News
Ongoing negotiation for Norwegian financial assistance of nearly 100 million to Romania
through two financial mechanisms. The EEA enlargement principles agreed on 29 March
2007 will make Romania and Norway full partners in the EU Internal Market and will give the two
countries a unique opportunity to increase contacts, cooperation and trade.
Agreement so far includes two financial mechanisms which will give Romania access to financial
assistance of 98.5 million Euros until 31 March 2009. Norway’s contribution will be structured in
an EEA financial mechanism where the three EEA countries - Norway, Iceland and
Liechtenstein - committed 50.5 million Euros for Romania, and a bilateral Norwegian-Romanian
Cooperation Programme (BCP) amounting to 48 million Euros. “This is our contribution to
economic and social development in Romania. As a result of this we will have huge
opportunities for developing projects together in the coming years. The agreement will also
make it easier for Romanians to work legally in Norway and vice versa. Norway will benefit from
better access to one of the most dynamic markets in Europe. This will be particularly important
for export of Norwegian fish and fish products” pointed Ambassador Leif Arne Ulland in an
interview to The Marketer magazine in June.
The EEA Financial Mechanism is open to cooperation projects between Romania and EEA and
other partners, including Norway. Applications must be submitted by Romanian actors
individually. The focal point for the EEA mechanism will be the Ministry of Finance in Romania
which will receive and evaluate project applications before sending the selected applications to
the Financial Mechanism Organisation (FMO) in Brussels for further evaluation and decision by
the donors. Priority areas for the EEA mechanism include protection of the environment, human
resource development, health and childcare, conservation of European cultural heritage.
The BCP programme is intended to promote economic development in key sectors in Romania,
and to contribute to innovation and technological transfers. The projects will be carried out
through partnerships between Norwegian and Romanian actors. Eligible applicants for grants
are partnerships between Romanian and Norwegian private enterprises, public authorities,
institutions and NGOs. Norway will administer the BCP programme. Innovation Norway in Oslo
has been appointed manager of the BCP and its local team of one Norwegian and a local officer
will be hosted by the Embassy. The priority areas of the BCP focus on reduction of greenhouse
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gas emissions, energy efficiency and renewable energy, facilitating sustainable production and
health. The BCP requires applications only under the form of Norwegian – Romanian
partnerships. In case of commercial aspect within projects, the EU rules for international bidding
will apply. Applicants will have to contribute with their own funds (60% for companies, 15% for
government institutions, 10% for NGOs).
Advanced ongoing negotiations on the two detailed Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs with
annexes) are focusing on detailed priority areas and rules for project submission and the
organisational structure. Agreement of the two mechanisms is expected be reached in the
course of the summer, and will be followed in September/October by the official launch of the
two mechanisms and call for proposals. Information on the EEA arrangements are already
available on the Embassy’s web page www.norvegia.ro and further details will be posted once
the agreement is signed. Further information about the EEA Financial Mechanism is also
available at www.eeagrants.org.
Initiation of a Nordic – Romanian chamber of commerce or economic forum. On 25 June the
Embassies of four Nordic countries (Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland) in Romania
launched discussions on setting up a Nordic – Romanian Chamber of Commerce/Business
Forum. A high need for a forum has been identified by these embassies for the increasing
number of Nordic companies in Romania, including major companies such as Aker, Orkla,
Kongsberg, Rom Real, BlomInfo, ABB, Oriflame, SAS Radisson, Ikea, Alstrom, Nokia and
Erickson. A similar Nordic chamber of commerce exists in several countries in Central and
Eastern Europe, including Croatia and the Czech Republic. The Nordic Embassies envisage a
formal entity that can play the role of a both networking and business forum, but not focus on
trade council issues. From legal point of view, the new chamber / forum of commerce could be
registered as a non profit organisation with legal personality and able to charge fees for its
services. Interest and ownership from the Nordic business community in Romania, vital for the
success of such a forum, will be further assessed by the Nordic Embassies. A draft mission
statement will be thus prepared and discussed by the Nordic Embassies during the summer. It
will be further used as basis for consultation with the Nordic business community in the autumn.
Norwegian plans for a Scandinavian House in Bucharest. The Norwegian business community,
with Kongsberg Defence Communications AS as initiator, develop plans to establish a
Scandinavian House in Bucharest which will collocate several Norwegian companies.
Romania’s president Traian Băsescu on official visit to Norway in November. The official visit
of the President of Romania, originally planned for May, is rescheduled for early November. The
president is expected to meet HM King Harald, the Prime Minister and other representatives of
the Norwegian Government, the President of Parliament (Stortinget) and members of the
Foreign Policy Committee. The President’s programme is envisaged to include a business and
trade related visit to Oslo.
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Business News
Aker Yards builds high-tech vessels amounting nearly 140 million Euros. Media reports that
Aker Yards has recently received a 139.8 million Euro order for a large commercial ship which
will supply marine platforms from the Norwegian company "DOF Installer. The 108 m-long body
of the ship amounting to 95 million Euros will be built by Aker Tulcea in Romania by and then
sent to Norway for further equipping and completion. The deadline for ship delivery to DOF
Installer is Q4 of 2010. According to www.shippingtimes.co.uk, cited by NewsIn, French
maritime company has placed a 22 million Euros for two commercial ships in Aker Braila.
RomReal to attract 200 million Euros for investment on the Romanian real estate market.
RomReal is an investment mean which operates in Romania through a Westhouse Group
subsidiary and focuses on development of residences for Romanian middle-class buyers. With
a portfolio of nearly 800,000 sqm in prime land and operating assets, the company has 3 large
projects under development in Constanta, Mamaia and Bucharest. Its’ investments so far on the
local market are up to about 100 mil according to Ziarul Financiar and Mediafax. RomReal
plans to attract further 200 million Euros for its projects in Romania following the company’s
listing at the Oslo Stock Exchange in June 2007.
Nordic companies ROMANIA INVEST and STATKRAFT invest heavily in Romania. Romania
Invest SA, a Norwegian incorporated company with both institutional and private investors as
Shareholders, will invest 100 million Euro in real estate projects in Romania. Romania Invest I
and II will seek to invest its full capacity by the first half of 2007 in residential projects. Statkraft,
the Norwegian largest producer of renewable energy active in power exchange across Europe
with turnover of 1.9 billion Euro in 2006, plans its first steps on the Romanian energy market.
Statkfrat will open a representative office in Bucharest and will have a local CEO starting with
November 2007.
RADISSON SAS Hotel opens its first hotel in Bucharest. Scandinavian-owned Radisson SAS
hotel-chain has entered the Romanian market with a first hotel to be opened downtown in
Bucharest in winter 2008. According to company’s latest reports, the hotel will offer elegant 424
guest rooms and suites, a 250 seat restaurant and a ballroom for 500 people. A Wellness
Centre, casino, outdoor pools, shops and parking facilities for 90 cars will be also available.
Read more at www.radissonsas.com.
Culture & Events
Constitution day celebrated in Bucharest 17 May. The official celebration of the Norwegian
Constitution Day was hosted by Ambassador Leif Arne Ulland and Mrs. Grete Ek Ulland, in their
new residence on 17 May. Around 250 Romanian partners, collaborators and Norwegians in
Romania celebrated together the Constitution Day. “There is a significant intensification of
dialogue and exchanges in areas such as European integration, trade and investments, security
and defence and cultural exchanges. As a result of this Romania has become a very important
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partner for Norway. The links between our countries are now much wider and manifold, both
within the European political, security, economic and cultural space and as two members of the
international community that share values and principles and work together in international
operations.” stated Ambassador Ulland for Nine o’Clock magazine on this occasion.
Grieg Year: Celebration activities in Romania. Four concerts supported by the Embassy this fall
will mark the centenary of Edvard Grieg in the framework of Sibiu European Cultural Capital
2007 and the “George Enescu” International Music Festival and Competition. The Oslo
Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Mrs. Jukka- Pekka Saraste, and pianist Boris Berezovsky
will perform at the Enescu festival in Bucharest on 8 and 9 September, 7.30pm, Sala Palatului.
The Embassy signed partnership with Sibiu State Philharmonic for a third Grieg concert in Sibiu,
the “European Cultural Capital 2007”, 16 October, 7.00 pm, Thalia Hall, with Norwegian pianist
Geir Botnen and tenor Arild Helleland. The fourth one will be offered by pianist Geir Botnen and
the Romanian National Radio Orchestra on 19 October, 7.00 pm, Sala Radio, Bucharest. The
Embassy is encouraging Norwegian companies to consider sponsorships of any of these events
and to buy a number of tickets for distribution to their families, partners, and employees.
There are over 120 Romanian students studying Norwegian language and literature at The
Scandinavian Languages and Literatures Department of the University of Cluj. In 2006-2007
about 12 students have got scholarships in Norway in the Erasmus Link programs at the
University of Oslo, University of Trondheim, in the summer schools programs at the universities
of Bergen and Oslo, and in the SIU scholarship program. From 2007 Erasmus Link expires after
Romania has become EU-member and a regular Erasmus program will be promoted.
Embassy News
New Commercial and PR Officer in the Norwegian Embassy starting 1 June. The embassy
hired Ms. Monica Popa as Commercial and PR Officer in response to a substantial increase in
the number of commercial visitors and requests for assistance from companies, especially after
Romania become a EU member.
Local Programme Officer is recruited by the Norwegian Embassy and Innovation Norway.
Innovation Norway, Norway’s state owned institution for business development, is the manager
of the Norwegian-Romanian Bilateral Co-operation Programme. The Romanian Programme
Officer will work in the Norwegian Embassy in Bucharest as part of the local Innovation Norway
team in and in close cooperation with the embassy staff. Interested candidates should submit
application and CV to emb.bucharest@mfa.no and bjorn.bjornsen@invanor.no by 27 July.
Detailed information and job description is available on the Norwegian Embassy’s webpage
www.norvegia.ro.
Please visit the Embassy’s web pages for more news and information - www.norvegia.ro.
Comments are most welcome to emb.bucharest@mfa.no.
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