Iohanis: We must overcome nationalist, isoalationist thinking, realy create strong European economy

AGERPRES special correspondent Madalina Cerban reports: President Klaus Iohannis, on a state visit to Italy, on Tuesday said it is necessary to overcome the nationalist, isolationist thinking and create a strong European economy.

"Without this step of deep integration of our economies, the European Union will not be able to maintain its top spot it has in the global economy. And these cutting edge fields, of high profile technologies are the first where the need of a deeper integration is felt, of a more intense collaboration and development that can be accomplished only if several national economies work together," Iohannis told a meeting with the representatives of the Italian Employers Confederation, according to Agerpres.

In his opinion, the future of the European Union "must be a concern of each and every one of us."

"Our prosperity depends on the way we will be able to contribute on the long term to increasing the living standard for all of the Union's citizens. The challenges brought by globalization, alongside the current geopolitical context compel us to show solidarity and work together so as to achieve economic convergence and social cohesion. It is very important that the European economic decision-makers hear the business milieu's voice on common interest topics, such as the stimulation of the economic growth and the employment, the encouragement of the entrepreneurship and obviously, our interests' protection within the international commercial negotiations, a topic that has become once so important that it seems it has taken many of us by surprise," Iohannis asserted.

The president also invited the attendees of the event to think about the way "a top notch industrial policy" for the EU can be promoted.

"Thinking about the future, I invite you to reflect on a subject I find vital for the future generations' prosperity, namely the ways through which <> for the EU can be promoted, capable to generate competitiveness in fields such as robotics and 4.0 industry, the Single Market of the digital data or the artificial intelligence," Iohannis concluded.