H.E. Rovana Plumb, the Environmental and Climate Change Minister of Romania has completed a week-long official visit to New York and Washington DC, where she joined in part Prime Minster Victor Ponta and two other cabinet ministers, Titus Corlatean (Minster for Foreign Affairs) and Constantin Nita (Minister of Energy) on a long-anticipated trip to the United States.
Minister Plumb met with, among others, the Chairman of EXIMBANK Fred Hochberg and his Board, including CBO Claudia Slacik, Director Patricia M. Loui and Chief of Staff Scott Mulhauser, to discuss business expansion opportunities and cooperation between her ministry and the renowned US financial institution, as well as cooperation between EXIMBANK and the private sector in Romania.
At the Department of State, Minister Plumb met with Clare Sierawski, Senior Climate Change Adviser and Duane Bucther, Charge D’Affairs at the US Embassy in Bucharest, Romania and disused US policies on Climate Change globally and most importantly, how it relates to East Central Europe and Romania in particular. The topics discussed include initiatives such as the Climate and Clean Air Coalition to Reduce Short-Lived Climate Pollutants (CCAC) launched in February 2012, as the first global effort to treat short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) as a collective challenge. It was agreed that the CCAC will work to reduce the climate and health impacts of black carbon and particulate matter (PM) emissions in the transportation sector. An estimated 19% of global black carbon emissions come from the transportation sector, with an important share coming from diesel vehicles.
At the OVERSEAS PRIVATE INVESTMENT CORPORATION (OPIC) Minister Plumb met with John Didiuk, Director for International Project Finance and Mary S. Boomgard, Managing Director for Environmental Office of Investment Policy where long and medium-term policies and cooperation between the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change of Romania and OPIC could be further explored and implemented. OPIC is seeking a greater involved in offering financial assistance to projects in the private sector that could reach as much $250 million per venture.
Honeywell Corporation, the $39 Billion multinational giant invited Minister Plumb to a special luncheon in her honor at their headquarters in Washington DC, to discuss historical achievement of the company in Romania and more growth opportunities in the environmental sector. Honeywell employs over 2,500 people in this country alone and has opened in early October a new plant in the Industrial Park in Ploiesti. The luncheon was hosted by Katherine L. Adams, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Senior. V.P. for Global Government Relations and former ambassador Richard W. Graber and by Arthur Simonetti, Vice President for Trade Regulations and Legislation.
At the Harvard Club in New York, among other events, Minister Rovana Plumb hosted a dinner gala in honor of the young Romanian-American executives from the business and financial world. The dinner reunited a group successful entrepreneurs from companies such as KPMG, Goldman Sachs, Moody Rating Agency, Merrill Lynch, UBS Asset Management and others. Princess Marina Sturdza of Romania was the special guests invited to attend by Minister Rovana Plumb.
