The head of Romanian diplomacy appoints an institution with expenditure of 27 million euros whose employees do not know English nor the language of the countries in which they are sent

The Romanian Foreign Minister, Oana Tiuiu, said on Wednesday night that the Romanian Agency for Investments and Foreign Trade (Arice), an institution that has to promote Romanian entrepreneurs abroad, has employees who know neither English nor the language of the country in which they are detached. “I doubt they will be able to continue when we really measure the results,” she said.

The head of Romanian diplomacy said that Arices has 290 employees and had a total expenses of 27 million euros last year.

The Foreign Minister believes that the need for such an institution is real.

“Countries have more and more tools to promote their own entrepreneurs, promote their business environment, promote the investments of their companies in other countries. The feedback we received, the way entrepreneurs and business environment reacted, this was mixed,” Oana Toiu told Euronews Romania.

She explained that there were only isolated cases of success in relation to this institution.

“Institutional, we are more those who believe that Arică, as such, especially in proportion to the budget he had available, needs a significant reform. And it is also passed in the government program and we have the vote of the Parliament to go further in this direction of reform,” said Ţoiu.

According to her, “it is very clear that (the institution) does not work at the level at which it should work.”

“It is related to the Ministry of Economy at this time. The discussions we have are in what way we make sure that, on the territory of another country and synchronize through the embassy all the efforts we have to increase their synergy and power, especially in reduced budgets,” said the head of diplomacy.

Oana Ţoiu added that hedgehog adjustments are needed.

“The resources that were allocated from our point of view are not truly reflected in the results brought (…) Observations came from some entrepreneurs that they found in two, three Aric Employees, whose mission was to promote Romanian investments or to bring foreign investments to Romania, who did not know English. We truly measure the results, ”she said, quoted by News.ro.

According to the Government's website, Aryice is a structure with legal personality within the executive's work apparatus.

The Romanian Agency for Investments and Foreign Trade works in the subordination of the Prime Minister and is financed from the state budget, through the budget of the General Secretariat of the Government.

The attributions, organization and functioning of the Romanian Agency for Investments and Foreign Trade are established by Law no. 73/2023 for the approval of the Government Emergency Ordinance no. 147/2022 regarding the establishment, organization and functioning of the Romanian Agency for Investments and Foreign Trade, as well as for amending the Government Emergency Ordinance no. 43/2017 regarding the establishment, organization and functioning of agencies for small and medium -sized enterprises, attracting investments and promoting the export.