Dependence on single suppliers directly affects the battery, renewable energy and defense industries, and Europe must accelerate extraction, processing and recycling projects and mobilize European funding in a coordinated manner, including through a mechanism dedicated to strategic projects, believes the Minister of Economy, Digitalization, Entrepreneurship and Tourism, Irineu Darau.
He participated, on Wednesday and Thursday, in the first formal meeting of the European Union Competitiveness Council (COMPET), internal market and industry section, organized by the Cypriot Presidency of the Council, as well as in the meetings held in the margins of the Council, "Friends of Industry" and the Energy-Intensive Industries Alliance, in Brussels, Kingdom of Belgium.
"This week in Brussels, there was an open and courageous discussion about the economic crises and opportunities we face. There is no point in living in denial, and Europe must find a path to real economic competitiveness. We have everything we need and together we can succeed, but not without major changes in approach," Darău claims, in a post on his Facebook page.
The Minister of Economy points out that solutions must be found at European level to reduce energy prices, so that European industry is truly encouraged and competitive.
During the meetings in Brussels, discussions focused on the European Competitiveness Fund, industrial resilience, the future of the single market and support for strategic industries.
"For Romania, the stakes are high and we need: fair access to financing for SMEs and for innovative projects; respecting technological neutrality in the decarbonization process; reducing the European Union's critical dependencies, especially in the field of essential raw materials; strengthening the single market as an engine of prosperity," emphasized Irineu Darau.
According to him, European competitiveness refers to the choice between producing in Europe or importing, between innovating here or depending on others, and this assumed direction also means jobs, investments and real chances for Romanian companies.
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