Joint Press Statement on the Launch of U.S. State Department Energy Sector Technical Assistance in Romania
The Government of Romania, led by Prime Minister Viorica Dăncilă, and the United States Department of State are pleased to announce the launch of energy sector technical cooperation under the framework of the U.S.-Romania Strategic Partnership.
The Department of State has approved a technical assistance program totaling over $2 million to strengthen the administrative capacity of Romanian technical agencies in the energy sector.
Vice Prime Minister for the Implementation of Strategic Partnerships Ana Birchall met a technical level delegation from the Department of State Energy Resources Bureau in June 2018 and coordinated advancing Government approval on technical cooperation.
The U.S.-Romania Strategic Partnership represents an important pillar of Romania’s foreign policy. Ensuring Romanian and European energy security is a key objective of the Partnership Declaration for the XXI Century between Romania and the United States of America. In the context of Romania’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the United States appreciates Romania’s hard work to advance European energy security, amendments to the EU Gas Directive, and reinforce transatlantic cooperation.
Department of State Energy Resources Bureau Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Kent Logsdon met with the Ministry of Energy on February 14, and a Department of State technical team of experts held meetings with the National Agency for Mineral Resources (NAMR) and the Competent Authority for Regulating Oil Operations in the Black Sea (ACROPO) February 12-15. The objectives of the assistance include strengthening oversight and effective management of the hydrocarbon sector, enacting measures to increase upstream investment from qualified companies, and ensuring environmental safety.
