Romanian President Klaus Iohannis's visit to the White House last week presented an excellent opportunity for U.S. President Donald Trump to strengthen the bonds of commerce and cooperation that link America to one of its most reliable democratic allies in Eurasia.
The visit was the second in-person meeting between these two leaders. It built upon productive talks in June of 2017, when Iohannis affirmed that Romania shares America’s vision of a free, secure, and prosperous world. Iohannis was the first Eastern European head of state to visit the Trump White House.
“Romania is a solid democracy with a solid and sustainable economic growth,” President Iohannis said at a White House press conference before thanking President Trump for his commitment to the longstanding, strategic partnership between the two countries.
Both presidents understand it is in the economic interests of their nations - particularly given some of the global economic headlines of the past week - that this strategic partnership continues to grow and thrive.
A surefire way to further strengthen the American-Romanian partnership following the meeting would be for Trump to affirm his full support for Romania’s application to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Founded in 1961, the OECD has grown into an influential international body with a mission to promote trade and economic growth among developed democracies. With 36 current member states, including the United States, admission to the OECD is not an automatic right. Rather, it is a prestigious and consequential honor offered only to select countries that have shown they have earned the privilege of membership.
Romania’s government and people have demonstrated a deep and abiding commitment to the bedrock principles of the OECD: democracy, economic freedom, and good governance. As a result of this commitment, Romania has experienced some of the most significant economic growth in Europe.
The American-Romanian Business Council is made up of more than 20 leading American companies representing many diverse economic sectors. The stories we hear from these iconic American companies on a near-daily basis confirm what the economic data tells us. The American companies we represent continue to view Romania as an attractive place to do business because of the opportunities it affords for further expansion into new markets like defense, energy, healthcare, and technology.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, bilateral trade between America and Romania totaled more than $3.72 Billion last year.
A survey conducted by INSCOP research this year found that Romania is the most pro-American country in Europe, with nearly 80 percent Romanians reporting positive views of the United States. For the first half of 2019, Romania served as president of the Council of the European Union.
It is fitting that the meeting came as Romania celebrates the 15th anniversary of its membership to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall that signaled the collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe.
Romania is a resilient country that has enacted smart policies since the end of the Cold War that has enabled them to persevere and become a productive contributor to the global economy and the world community of democratic nations.
President Trump has raised concerns about some NATO members failing to meet the organization’s requirement that member nations spend at least two percent of their GDP on defense. According to a June 2019 NATO Defense Expenditure report, Romania is spending 2.04 percent of its GDP on defense. Romania has a proven track record of honoring its obligations to international organizations, which is why it would be a valuable addition to the OECD.
In this consideration of the mutual defense interests between America and Romania, it is always worth remembering that Romanian soldiers have fought, been wounded, and died alongside American soldiers in Afghanistan.
With this sacred bond in mind, President Iohannis’s visit to Washington presented another opportunity for the Trump Administration to support bipartisan Congressional efforts to amend the Visa Waiver Program to include countries like Romania that have deployed troops in support of U.S. military operations and have met their NATO obligations as a demonstration of their continued commitment to their partnership with the United States.
In his address to the World Economic Forum at Davos last year, President Trump famously declared “America first does not mean America alone. When the United States grows, so does the world.”
By supporting Romania’s bid to join the OECD and backing proposals to extend Visa Waiver Program eligibility to worthy countries like Romania, President Trump now has a prime opportunity to translate his words and ideas into policies that will benefit American businesses and the American economy.
Eric Stewart is the President of American-Romanian Business Council and a former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Europe/Eurasia at the Department of Commerce under President George W. Bush. You can follow the American Romanian Business Council on Twitter @AmRoBiz. The views expressed are the author's own.
