Romania has the opportunity to become an interesting player in terms of supply chains and trade routes, but it has to complete on schedule the major infrastructure projects at various stages and approach the infrastructure as an integrated project, Chairman of the Bucharest Chamber of Commerce and Industry Iuliu Stocklosa said on Friday at an event dedicated to haulage.
"Infrastructure is necessary for development, and business people, for now, consider it a weak point. Indeed, the development of the infrastructure of late is impressive from our point of view and we hope that the programmes that are for the future will develop according to the plans that the Ministry of Transport has programmed. (...) Through its geostrategic position, Romania has significant competitive advantages, both in the European Union and in NATO, which entails a special responsibility to ensure the resilience of the economy to the successive crises we are going through today. In the current context, Romania has the opportunity to become an interesting player in terms of supply chains and trade routes, taking into account two conditions: we have to carry through on schedule the major infrastructure projects at various stages now and approach infrastructure as an integrated project, involving all the road haulage facilities, rail, maritime, river and air," Stocklosa said in opening remarks at the 4th edition of the Infrastructure, Transport and Logistics Forum.
He also mentioned what he called the "exceptional potential" of the Danube and of the Romanian river and sea ports.
"By providing institutional support at all levels, at central and local level, they can significantly contribute to the development of the infrastructure as a whole. It is well known that water transport is the least polluting and cheapest. In this context, we appreciate that due attention should be paid to investment for the development of the Danube for navigation throughout the year. These are projects that will undoubtedly contribute to the sustainable development of the Romanian economy, all the more so as, on January 1 Romania entered the Schengen area with full rights," he said.
Stocklosa added that there is interest in opening new shipping routes, and Romania is in talks with Turkey for joint projects that will contribute to increasing the efficiency of the transport of non-perishable goods and stimulating trade between the two countries.
"Specifically, we have identified interest in opening new shipping routes and we are in talks with Turkey to develop joint projects in this regard, for the development of the commercial partnership between Romania and the countries in the central and western parts of the European Union, and the implementation of this project will contribute to increasing the efficiency of the transport of non-perishable goods, expanding collaboration in the logistics field and stimulating trade between Romania and Turkey, which is Romania's largest partner outside the European Union. Considering the economic impact of the project, it was unveiled by us in February, just a few days ago, in Vienna, at the General Assembly of the Federation of Danube Chambers of Commerce, an organisation of which the Bucharest Chamber is a founding member. This is an example of future sustainable development, but it is not the only one."
Stocklosa told the members of the CCIB to insert the arbitration clause in their commercial contracts, as "the advantages of arbitration are undeniable".
"Before concluding, I would like to point out one more feature of the chamber's products, namely the possibility of settling disputes, including those regarding transport by arbitration, here, at the Court of Arbitration with the Bucharest Chamber of Commerce. Litigation is inherent, so I invite you to be prepared. How? By inserting the arbitration clause in your contracts. I make this suggestion because the advantages of arbitration are undeniable: the meetings are not public, the file is confidential, thus avoiding possible image damage and losses, not negligible financial losses that derive from it. In addition, the time required to settle disputes and the costs are incomparably lower than if one goes to court," he said.
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