Embassy Press Release

Remarks delivered by Ambassador Taubman on the Occasion of the AMCHAM 15^th Anniversary Celebration

Ambassador Taubman (L) speaks at the Romanian Athenaeum on the occasion of the AMCHAM 15th Anniversary Celebration. Bucharest, September 23, 2008 (Lucian Crusoveanu / Public Diplomacy Office). More photos

Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Romanian Atheneum

Mr. President, Mr. Prime Minister, members of AmCham, ladies and gentlemen:

Tonight we have come together to celebrate 15 remarkable years of growth and achievement for the American Chamber of Commerce in Romania. But as the distinguished presence here tonight of President Basescu and Prime Minister Tariceanu attests, this is not just a celebration of AmCham – it is a celebration of the tremendous progress of Romania itself over this last decade and a half. Just as AmCham has grown from just over 20 founding member companies in 1993 to a current membership more than ten times that number, so Romania has risen from those difficult early years after the fall of Communism to a prestigious place today as a NATO member and important strategic partner of the United States, as a member of the European Union, and as home to the most dynamic and fastest-growing economy in southeastern Europe. This is, indeed, great cause to celebrate.

As Ambassador, I am very proud of the U.S. role in helping to make all of this happen. I refer here not merely to the many forms of assistance the U.S. Government has provided to Romania, important though they are. Rather, I refer to the notable part played by American businesses – represented collectively by AmCham – in Romania's continuing success story. Through large capital investments, and by offering good-paying jobs to tens of thousands of Romanians, you help to make this country prosperous. By introducing technological and managerial know-how, you sharpen Romania's competitiveness. Through your educational and community programs, you improve the quality of life for many Romanians. And by standing for integrity and good governance, you set a high standard of ethical corporate conduct for others to follow. Romania has afforded you an attractive, profitable market in which to do business, and you have given back much in return.

During my tenure as Ambassador I have been privileged on many occasions to work in partnership with AmCham, and with the Government of Romania, in advancing common goals. This last year has been particularly fruitful. In February, together with Romanian Ambassador to the U.S. Adrian Vierita and accompanied by several members of the AmCham Board, we undertook an "Ambassadorial Road Show" to New York, Washington, and Atlanta to talk to American companies about the great business opportunities in Romania. I'm pleased to say that our efforts generated a lot of new interest in this country. But perhaps even more important, we were able to meet with bright young Romanians studying in the U.S. and to urge them to bring their skills and energy back to Romania after they graduate. I hope that this theme – "Return to Romania" – will remain a priority for the future, because Romania's future depends on it.

At the same time, we worked together this spring and summer to design and implement the START Internship Program, a hugely successful initiative to give hundreds of Romanian college students the opportunity to do real work, at real wages, in participating companies. This is the kind of innovative program Romania needs to keep its rising generation at home and to provide companies with the fresh talent they are searching for. While the U.S. Embassy was pleased to assist, I salute AmCham and the Government of Romania for providing the leadership to take START from concept to reality.

And so, as we look back on these many accomplishments, we must ask: and what of the next 15 years, or 30? How can AmCham help to ensure that this remarkable success story will continue?

The answer, I believe, is that AmCham must remain a proactive and persistent voice for changes and improvements that will benefit not just individual companies, but all Romanians. And at the same time that it offers constructive criticism, AmCham must be a willing and reliable partner in bringing those changes about. I am told that the AmCham Board recently met with leaders of major political parties to present a list of business priorities for Romania. These include needed reforms and investments in the areas of transportation infrastructure, health care, education, and labor. I share AmCham's conviction that addressing these areas is vital for Romania's future competitiveness, and I hope that Romania's leaders will consider AmCham's recommendations carefully.

But I also believe that simply building more and better roads, schools, and hospitals is not enough. Romania's future prosperity also depends on renewed, steady commitment to enforcing the rule of law, to rooting out and punishing corruption, to ensuring greater transparency and predictability in the way government makes laws and imposes regulations. Romania must be the kind of participatory democracy in which all parts of society, including the business community, are heard. I know AmCham will continue to work hard to help make that happen.

Let me share one more thought as I conclude. Last week I was privileged to be a guest at the monthly AmCham Board meeting. Looking around that table, I was struck by the fact that the capable people sitting there, representing major American corporations, included not one American among them – rather, virtually all of them were native Romanians. In a very real sense, while these are American companies, they are Romanian companies too – headed by Romanians, employing Romanians, working to deliver quality products and services to Romanians. I can think of no better symbol of the genuine partnership between AmCham and Romania than this, and it gives me confidence that these last 15 years have merely been the prologue to a long, rich story, with many exciting chapters yet to be written. Thank you very much.

More details about the AmCham can be found at http://www.amcham.ro.

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