Repatriot: Romanians in Spain send money, transfer expertise and healthy attitude, and do not lose trust in their native country

Repatriot, the platform that connects Romanians from outside the borders with the country, led the economic mission Romania-Spain, held between 21^st -27^th March in Barcelona and the Balearic Islands. This initiative discovered new points of support for the expansion of Romanian businesses in the region, facilitated the access of Romanians from the Diaspora to opportunities in the country and accelerated economic cooperation between Romanian and Spanish entrepreneurs.

As part of the delegation, 27 Romanian entrepreneurs from Bucharest, Constanța, Oradea, Iași and Cluj Napoca met with over 40 Spanish entrepreneurs, as well as over 100 Romanian professionals and entrepreneurs from Spain. In addition, businessmen from the UK, Switzerland and France were also present through Repatriot. This created the right framework for the development of trade relations and opportunities for collaboration and investment in various key sectors. At the same time, meetings were organized with the Spanish authorities, Chambers of Commerce and Industry, and visits to tech hubs and business incubators.

In this mission, two conferences were organized for entrepreneurs and professionals from the Diaspora, where the Repatriot representatives met with more than 500 Romanians living and working in Spain and visited 4 religious communities that unite the local Romanian community.

“In addition to the circle of Repatriot friends and business projects, we discovered remarkable Romanians and thus had the opportunity to thank them for everything they do for Romania! They are our ambassadors, they stick with the country, they send money, they transfer expertise and a healthy attitude, and they don’t lose their trust in Romania. I assure you that it is not a simple experience to feel the overwhelming emotion when you look into the eyes of over 100 Romanian children from the Balearic Islands, gathered in the Romanian religious communities on a Sunday. You are speechless when you hear the story of the parents, true explorers, who arrived here empty-handed and then made a future for themselves!”, stated Marius Bostan, serial entrepreneur and Repatriot initiator.

Business projects between Spanish, Romanians from the Diaspora, and those from Romania

Romanian and Spanish entrepreneurs have many points in common and there is a major potential for the development of commercial relations between them. Over a million Romanians live and work in Spain and many companies founded by Romanians create value in Spain. At the same time, many Spanish have invested in Romania, and commercial, diplomatic, and cultural relations are continuously growing. More than 100 hours of discussions and direct meetings, as part of the Repatriot economic mission, contributed to the initiation of business projects and building of solid bridges of trust between the Spanish, Romanians from the Diaspora, and those in Romania.

Repatriot conquers Barcelona and the Balearic Islands through a multi-million euro economic mission

The main industries addressed in the economic mission were renewable energy, the HoReCa sector and information and communication technology (IT&C). These areas have been identified as particularly promising and have generated interest among Romanian and Spanish entrepreneurs.

“From the first moment I explained to Mr. Bostan about this approach, the answer was «Yes, count on Repatriot and RBL». Thus, this delegation is defined by words such as proactivity, action and team spirit, essential elements for any entrepreneur and leader. Without Repatriot, this endeavor could not have been a real success. This is only a cornerstone in the construction of the bridge between the two areas, a bridge that we can only strengthen together”, stated Honorary Consul of Romania in the Balearic Islands, Alexandru George Lazăr.

The economic mission in Spain took place between 21^st -27^th March and was organized with the support of the Consulate General of Romania in Barcelona led by Mrs. Sandra Liliana Gătejeanu Gheorghe, Mr. Bogdan Bădescu, Minister of Economic Affairs in the Kingdom of Spain, and with the support of Mr. Honorary Consul of Romania in the Balearic Islands, Lawyer Alexandru George Lazăr.

Repatriot is a community of Romanians with initiative, which is constantly growing all over the world, through a volunteer-based project of Romanian Business Leaders, initiated in 2015 to “connect Romanians everywhere to opportunities at Home”. The entrepreneurs from the Romanian Business Leaders and Repatriot community contribute to the creation of over 15% of Romania’s GDP, with a cumulative turnover of over 45 billion Euros. Repatriot remains dedicated to promoting business opportunities in the country for Romanians outside the borders, while also supporting Romanian entrepreneurs in expanding their activities internationally.