EU Virtuous Circles Mission

The Virtuous Circles mission to Bulgaria and Romania on 6th and 7th December is led by Commissioner Karmenu Vella and brings together a number of government ministries and local experts. On 5 December David arrived in Bucharest to prepare for the high-level meetings at Cercul Militar National. On 6 December, these meetings will begin in earnest. David will be joining Mr Marius Marinoff from the Romanian Environment Ministry, the Vice Prime Minister Graţiela Leocadia Gavrilescu, and Commissioner Vella in the opening plenary session where a key topic will be business opportunities within the fast-growing circular economy.

Bulgaria and Romania are well placed to benefit from the on-going transition to a circular economy in Europe. The goal of the mission will be to capitalize on this positioning and advance both countries further down the road towards a more circular future.

A word from David Fitzsimons:

“I am delighted to have been invited to join the EU mission and look forward to contributing practical actions to shape future economic policy in both Bulgaria and Romania”.

Update:

During a successful first day of the mission, a surprise turn of events came when Commissioner Vella (pictured below) was invited to add his name to a time capsule to mark 100 years from the unification of Romania. The event came after high level commitments to support the circular economy ambitions shared with the EU. These commitments are to be stored within a time capsule in the foundations of a new centre for circular economy development, and are to be opened in 100 years!

The day was spent in technical workshops to give support to Romanian policy makers in several Government Departments. Now to Bulgaria, and what will hopefully be an equally productive day for the mission.