On Friday, May 12, 2023, a team of George Washington University Environmental and Energy Management Institute leaders met with 17 government and private sector leaders from Romania and Moldova to discuss a potential partnership to advance clean energy for advanced irrigation technology in those countries. The meeting was held in Room 2000 of the GW Science and Engineering Hall.
The international delegation members included Sorin Moise, Romanian Deputy Minister of Agriculture & Rural Development; Carolina Perebinos, Minister Counselor, Embassy of the Republic of Moldova to the United States; Razvan Dumitrescu, Minister Counselor for Economic Affairs, Embassy of Romania to the United States of America; Gheorghe Budică, Mayor of Orbeasca, România; Clitemnestra Gâdea, President, Board of Directors, Niro Investment SA, Bucharest, Romania; Ionel-Stelian Pirvan, Mayor, City of Fantanele, Romania; and a dozen additional public and private leaders from Romania and Moldova.
Also attending the meeting were senior U.S. International Trade Administration officials Dusan Marinkovic of Washington, D.C., and Gabriel Popescu, stationed in Bucharest, Romania.
EEMI representatives at the meeting were Ambassador Andras Simonyi (EEMI Distinguished Visiting Scholar), Mark Pollins, esq. (EEMI Director of Food and Water Security), former U.S. Department of the Army Assistant Secretary Alex Beehler, esq. (EEMI Director of Innovative Energy Strategies), and Dr. Jonathan Deason, EEMI Director.
Topics discussed included rebuilding of the post-war Ukrainian agricultural sector and related developments in Romania and Moldova and regional clean power opportunities. The next steps from the meeting will include discussions with the Romanian and Moldovan Embassies regarding the content of MOUs between GW and those embassies, and work with the International Trade Administration towards GW technological assistance to those countries through the ITA Market Development Cooperator Program, which is the U.S. Federal government’s principal international export assistance program.
Also discussed was the recent and current work of the EEMI in assisting neighboring Ukraine with optimal irrigation water magament and documentation of environmental war crimes currently being committed by Russia. A full list of the participating Romanian and Moldovan delegates can be seen at this link: Romanian and Moldovan Delegates