The European Commission is backing Romania to become a major player in the car battery industry.

European Commission Vice-President Stephane Sejourne visited on Thursday, together with Economy Minister Bogdan Ivan, the Romanian factory "Prime Batteries Technology", which produces state-of-the-art lithium-ion batteries and customized energy storage systems.

European Commissioner Stephane Sejourne said that Bucharest is the first European capital he is visiting on his tour, because he wanted to pay special attention to Romania.

The purpose of the visit is to support Romania's industrial development and underline the strategic importance of this sector.

The European Commission, under the leadership of the new team, is focusing on two main directions: simplifying bureaucracy and adapting legislation to stimulate investment by removing unnecessary rules and creating a stable regulatory framework.

The Commissioner chose to visit this battery factory to highlight the importance of the energy sector and the battery industry in the EU's green transition.

Minister Bogdan Ivan emphasized that the European Commissioner's visit sends an important message to the entire Romanian industry. The European Union supports Romania in becoming a key player in new industries.

Bogdan Ivan: When we talk about Europe's industrial development and reducing dependence on other continents, we are talking about making the best use of the resources we have here, and Romania has huge resources of critical materials. It also has an extremely important geostrategic position.

Following their official visit to Romania, the two leaders will visit aerospace and turbo-engine research institutes to discuss the use of drones for civilian and military purposes and the impact of global competition in this field.

Translated by: Radu Matei