India, Romania deepen trade and mobility ties to boost partnership

India and Romania have agreed to enhance trade, investment, and mobility cooperation to strengthen their economic partnership within the broader India–EU framework. Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Jitin Prasada held a bilateral meeting with Romania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Oana-Silvia Toiu in Bucharest on Tuesday, focusing on expanding trade ties, attracting investment, and building resilient supply chains, according to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry According to information,the meeting took place as both countries sought to boost economic engagement in line with the ongoing India–EU trade dialogue. Both sides agreed to work towards concluding a fair, balanced, and mutually beneficial India–EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) within this year, in accordance with the political direction guiding the negotiations.
The ministers reviewed the strong and stable economic partnership between India and Romania. India’s exports to Romania crossed USD 1.03 billion in FY 2024–25, while bilateral trade reached around USD 2.98 billion in FY 2023–24. To build on this growth, both nations agreed to deepen supply-chain linkages in key sectors such as petroleum products, engineering goods, pharmaceuticals, and ceramics, while also strengthening cooperation in standards, testing, and investment partnerships to enhance market access.The two sides committed to working together as trusted partners to build stronger and more resilient supply chains, ensuring long-term stability and business confidence.
Building on recent high-level exchanges between the leadership of India and Romania, both ministers agreed to maintain regular dialogue and follow-up actions on trade facilitation, investor outreach, and mobility initiatives. They also discussed streamlining procedures and developing a mobility toolkit to transform emerging opportunities into concrete outcomes.As part of his visit to Romania for the 19th meeting of the Joint Committee for Economic Cooperation (JCEC), Prasada was received at Henri Coanda International Airport by Secretary of State Gabriel Bogdan Stetco from the Ministry of Economy, Digitalisation, Entrepreneurship, and Tourism, and Managing Director Sorin Mihal Toader from the Department of Foreign Trade, ARICE.
During his visit, Prasada also met with Petre-Florin Manole, Romania’s Minister of Labour, Family, Youth, and Social Solidarity, to discuss collaboration on skills-based mobility. He highlighted that India, with its working-age population exceeding one billion and a median age of 29, is on track to become the world’s third-largest economy by 2030.Acknowledging Romania’s annual requirement for approximately 100,000 non-EU workers, both sides expressed readiness to create a pathway for nearly 30,000 skilled and aspirational Indian professionals each year, aligned with Romania’s labour market needs.“India, as the fastest-growing large economy, continues to contribute to global prosperity as a trusted partner for both developed and developing nations,” the ministry stated. Prasada underscored India’s growing role as a manufacturing and technology hub, hosting nearly 45% of global capability centres and investing heavily in frontier technologies. He noted that stronger India–EU cooperation is vital in the evolving geopolitical and geoeconomic landscape.
The ministers reaffirmed their commitment to a robust mobility partnership between India and Romania, focusing on safe, orderly, and responsible migration of skilled professionals and enhanced labour market connectivity. They also agreed to strengthen people-to-people ties through closer cooperation in higher education, research, innovation, and cultural exchanges, aimed at fostering talent circulation and supporting skills development.The discussions covered cooperation in recruitment, language and vocational training, standardised employment contracts, employer obligations, and fast-track processing for verified employers. Both sides tasked officials to explore mutual recognition of qualifications and discussed the possibility of establishing a Totalization (Social Security) Agreement to ensure social security benefits for professionals.The meeting concluded with both nations agreeing to sustain the current momentum by expanding skills mobility, deepening knowledge exchange, engaging business communities, and reinforcing institutional frameworks. The ministry noted that these collective efforts will ensure the India–Romania partnership remains integrated, resilient, and results-oriented across trade, technology, and people-to-people cooperation.

(Business Correspondent)