India, Romania Deepen Economic and Mobility Ties; New Pathway
for 30,000 Skilled Indian Professionals Annually
Minister
of State for Commerce & Industry Jitin
Prasada held bilateral discussions in Bucharest with Romania’s
Minister of Foreign Affairs H.E.
Oana-Silvia Țoiu, focusing on
expanding trade,
investment, and supply chain cooperation within the India–EU
economic framework.
Both
leaders reaffirmed their commitment to concluding
a fair and balanced India–EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) by 2025
and reviewed the steady growth in bilateral trade — with India’s exports to Romania crossing USD
1.03 billion in FY 2024–25 and total trade reaching nearly USD 2.98 billion in FY 2023–24.
Discussions emphasized enhancing collaboration in petroleum products, engineering goods,
pharmaceuticals, ceramics, and cooperation in standards, testing, and investment
facilitation.
The
two sides agreed to promote
diversified and resilient supply chains and sustain regular high-level exchanges
to advance trade facilitation, mobility frameworks, and investor outreach.
On
the sidelines, during talks with Romania’s Labour Minister Petre-Florin Manole, both
sides agreed to create a
pathway for around 30,000 skilled Indian professionals to work in Romania
annually, addressing Romania’s labour market needs. The
initiative aims to promote safe,
regulated migration, aligned with sectoral demand, while
fostering cooperation in skills
training, qualification recognition, social security, and fast-track recruitment.
The
visit, part of the 19th
India–Romania Joint Committee for Economic Cooperation (JCEC),
reaffirmed both nations’ shared vision for a comprehensive and future-oriented partnership,
strengthening trade,
investment, and talent mobility between India and Romania.
Minister
of State for Commerce & Industry Jitin Prasada is on an official visit to
Bucharest at the invitation of the Government of Romania to attend the 19th
meeting of the Joint Committee for Economic Cooperation (JCEC) between India
and Romania.
On
arrival at Henri Coandă International Airport,
the Minister was received by Secretary of State, Ministry of Economy,
Digitalization, Entrepreneurship and Tourism Mr. Gabriel Bogdan
Ștețco, and Managing Director, Department of Foreign Trade, ARICE Mr.
Sorin Mihai Toader.
During
the visit, the Minister held a substantive meeting with Minister of Labour,
Family, Youth and Social Solidarity H.E. Mr. Petre-Florin Manole to discuss
collaboration on skills-based mobility. Prasada highlighted that with over one
billion people of working age and a median age of 29, India is poised to become
the world’s third-largest economy by 2030. As the fastest-growing large
economy, India continues to contribute to global prosperity as a trusted
partner for both developed and developing nations. He noted that India, as a
rapidly expanding manufacturing and technology hub, hosts nearly 45% of global
capability centres and is investing heavily in frontier technologies. In this
context, he underlined that stronger India–EU cooperation is more vital than
ever in the evolving geopolitical and geoeconomic environment.
Both
sides took note of Romania’s annual requirement for approximately 100,000
non-EU workers and expressed readiness to create a pathway for about 30,000
skilled and aspirational Indian professionals annually, aligned with Romania’s
sectoral labour market needs. The Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to
building a strong mobility partnership between India and Romania to promote
safe, orderly, regular, and responsible migration of skilled
professionals—enhancing labour market connectivity for mutual benefit.
They
also agreed to strengthen people-to-people ties through enhanced cooperation in
higher education, research, innovation, think tanks, and cultural
exchanges—aimed at fostering talent circulation, supporting skills development,
and investing in future generations.
The
discussions covered cooperation in recruitment, language and vocational
training, standardised employment contracts, and employer obligations, along
with fast-track processing for verified employers. Both sides tasked officials
to explore mutual recognition of qualifications. Recognising the importance of
social security certainty, they also discussed the possibility of a
Totalization (Social Security) Agreement.
Both
sides agreed to carry this momentum forward by activating enablers across key
pillars—expanding skills mobility, deepening knowledge exchange, engaging
business communities, and reinforcing institutional frameworks—ensuring that
the India–Romania partnership remains integrated, resilient, and results-driven
across trade, technology, and people-to-people cooperation.
Minister
of State for Commerce & Industry Jitin Prasada held a bilateral meeting
with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania H.E. Ms. Oana-Silvia Țoiu in Bucharest today. The discussions focused on
expanding trade, attracting investment, and strengthening resilient supply
chains within the broader India–EU economic framework.
Both
sides agreed to work towards the conclusion, within this year, of a fair,
balanced, and mutually beneficial India–EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA), in line
with the political direction set for the ongoing negotiations.
The
Ministers reviewed the stable trade and investment ties between the two
countries. India’s exports to Romania crossed USD 1.03 billion in FY 2024–25,
while overall bilateral trade reached about USD 2.98 billion in FY 2023–24.
Both sides agreed to deepen supply-chain linkages in priority sectors such as
petroleum products, engineering goods, pharmaceuticals, and ceramics, and to
facilitate collaboration in standards, testing, and investment partnerships to
enhance market access on both sides. They also agreed to work together for
diversification of production and to build stronger, more resilient supply
chains as trusted partners, ensuring stability and confidence for businesses in
both nations.
Building
on the recent high-level engagements between the leadership of India and
Romania, both sides agreed to sustain the momentum through a regular calendar
of exchanges. They also decided to coordinate follow-up actions on streamlining
trade, developing a mobility toolkit, and strengthening investor outreach to
translate opportunities into tangible outcomes.
The
visit underscores the shared commitment of both nations to a stronger
India–Romania economic partnership—one that expands trade, widens investment
flows, and creates pathways for skills-based mobility to the mutual benefit of
both economies.