British Ambassador Robin Barnett visited Craiova, together with a British delegation from Wakefield, UK, between 22-24 July 2009. The visit proved the strength of British presence in Craiova and the importance of this region for the foreign investors, including British.

This is Ambassador Barnett's account on the regional trip:

'Late July was another important milestone in the Embassy’s efforts to promote closer links between British and Romanian towns and regions. Together with a delegation from Wakefield, led by Council leader Peter Box, I travelled to Craiova, an important industrial city in south-west Romania.

Our purpose was two fold.  First to sign an Embassy sponsored partnership agreement between Craiova and Wakefield, which is designed both to bring mutual economic benefits and to exchange experience in public administration. I’m very confident that this will lead to concrete businesses for both sides, not least because Craiova is the site for a major new investment by Ford. This offers exciting opportunities for British business not only in the automotive component sector, but also in areas like training and development.

I also believe that the Ford investment will promote economic development in the region, transforming it into an increasingly attractive option for British investors. As a first step, we are hoping to bring an automotive trade mission to Romania before the end of the year.

Another area of increasing UK interest is agriculture. A British investor is considering investing in a significant quantity of land in the south-west in order to farm using the latest modern techniques. This would be an extremely interesting development as agricultural development is a key challenge for Romania.

My visit also included a visit to a pumping station in Darbuleni to see a project dedicated to renovating the irrigation system co-financed by the World Bank and the Romanian government. The direct reason for my participation was that the original project in the early seventies used UK expertise and equipment. Not only is much of the original equipment still working but also British companies played an active role in the renovation.

Better irrigation is clearly vital. The recent heat waves are also a reminder of the continuing need to tackle climate change.'