The European League for Economic Cooperation has been, ever since its foundation in 1946, an independent network of business people who put their knowledge and influence together to deepen European integration. The League has stood out over the decades for a lot of significant reasons, including the very diverse nature of its membership and their interests, as well as a specific concern for independence in formulating their opinions. It is exactly this diversity and independence that prompts ELEC to ask the right questions and, in the answers it provides, to give priority to the common European interest. I salute the close cooperation between government officials in the region with high European officials, as well as, with the private sector and prestigious organizations such as ELEC. The Prime Minister of Romania, Mr. Dacian Ciolos, will have a brief address on this topic. Mr. Achim Irimescu, Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development will chair the round table on agriculture, together with his counterpart from the Republic of Moldova, Minister Eduard Grama and other renowned authorities who are ready to share their expertise on the factors that generate food insecurity in the extended Black Sea region in the context of the 21st century challenges. Mr. Vasile Iuga, Partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers will chair the round table on energy security and together with prominent experts will focus on long term development of energy networks in Central and Eastern Europe. Ladies and Gentlemen, Now, a few words about the topic of this conference.
Regional cooperation in different fields like food and energy security – focal points of today’s conference – might be initiated at a high political level, but its implementation requires an active, broader and more informed participation of private sector and civil society, as the main vehicles of cross-border cooperation. The expansion of each one’s participation has a double effect; it allows for more informed regional policies and faster project implementation, on one hand, and it cultivates an understanding that regional cooperation has a direct impact on everyday life and individual citizens’ welfare on the other hand. The Romans used to say “mens sana in corpore sano”. The way I see it, it greatly matters what you fuel your body with. Greater food production for an increasing population goes hand in hand with ensuring access to affordable, safe and nutritious food. The way food nourishes our bodies, energy fuels the economy. So, energy needs to be secure, affordable and sustainable. I could go further and stress once again that for a healthy economy there is a substantial need for a healthy financial and banking systems. However, today’s conference will not generate either solutions or concrete answers to the multiple of issues the food and energy security rises, but it will most certainly cast a new light on possible ways to handle the challenges ahead of us.