Romania will enter the map of major manufacturers of battery components after signing a memorandum with a company that will build a lithium refinery, Minister of Energy Virgil Popescu told a press briefing on Monday, at the Government headquarters."I am very happy that Romania will be on the map of the big manufacturers of battery components. Because we have to say, no battery can work without lithium. Basically these refineries, these two refineries that will be built in Europe will make this lithium powder, one in Germany, one in Romania. (...) Romania will benefit from an investment of about 400 million euros, jobs and will be put on the map of the electric batteries producer. (...) Within the European legal framework, the Romanian Government pledged to grant state aid to investors who come to invest in Romania," said Virgil Popescu, at the end of the signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding with RockTech Lithium.The director of the German-Canadian company RockTech Lithium, Dirk Harbecke, mentioned that the European Union will use electric cars on a large scale, and to this end, the car industry needs to be prepared to have the necessary components. He said that a first production unit would be installed in Germany, on the border with Poland, and a second production unit for these components would be built in Romania. The investments that the company will make in Romania will lead to the direct or indirect creation of 700 jobs, and the components will be used to equip an average of 500,000 vehicles per year. RockTech Lithium is a Canadian company that produces lithium hydroxide, used in electric vehicles’ batteries. Besides Canada, the company also has operations in Germany, with the aim of “scaling up production right at the heart of Europe’s automotive industry.” Last week, the Ministry of European Projects announced it had discussions with a team from Varta, which considers Romania as a location for a new factory for electric car batteries. According to deputy minister Roxana Minzatu, part of the €1 billion investment could be financed from EU funds.
Daniel Christian Hulea, a Romanian man accused of contributing to the NetWalker ransomware attacks, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit computer fraud and wire fraud, according to a public announcement from the US Department of Justice. NetWalker was a Ransomware-as-a-Service operation launched in 2019, which recruited […]
The new Romanian government, headed by the same Social Democratic prime minister, Marcel Ciolacu, recently made its governance program public. Among its objectives are reducing the level of bureaucracy, maintaining the flat tax rate, and reducing the budget deficit to 7% in 2025. To reach its goals, the government reduced the number of ministries to […]
The European Commission (EC) announced on Monday, December 23, that it disbursed payments under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) to Czechia, Germany, Italy, Portugal, and Romania, totaling EUR 26.8 billion in loans and grants. Under this latest disbursement, Romania received EUR 37.05 million as part of its second payment request. By comparison, according to the...
Romanian film trilogy Moromeții, directed by Stere Gulea, will be presented at the 54th edition of the Rotterdam International Film Festival, taking place from January 30 to February 9, 2025. This renowned European event, which annually presents hundreds of films across more than 20 sections, will feature the three films - Moromeții (1987), Moromeții 2 […]
Romania issued state aid worth EUR 1.3 billion during 2019-2023, with 62% of the projects being granted to foreign companies, according to an analysis conducted by EY Romania. The sectors that benefited the most from aid were the automotive industry, technology, manufacturing (light industry), medical industry, and the food and beverage industry. According to the […]
The Abracadabra – Secrets of Magic interactive exhibition will transform Arcub – Hanul Gabroveni in Bucharest into a magical universe starting December 27, 2024. Running until May 4, 2025, the event offers visitors the opportunity to explore a labyrinth of magic, featuring over 20 interactive attractions and more than 500 live performances by MAGITOT and […]
