Romania opens honorary consulate in Florence

Romania has opened an honorary consulate in Florence, Italy, for the approximately 85,000 citizens of Romanian origin living in the region, of whom over 20,000 live in the city. The new honorary consul is Paolo Fagiolini, known for his involvement in the field of healthcare and biotechnologies, according to a press statement released by the Romanian Embassy in Italy on Thursday.

"Honorary consulates are an integral part of international affairs and aim to develop commercial and cultural relationships, having today a strong vocation within the European Union: to strengthen cohesion and mutual knowledge, favouring the formation of a much-needed European consciousness that is much needed for asserting Europe as a global actor," Romania's ambassador to Italy George Bologan told the opening ceremony.

The honorary consul of Romania in Florence, Paolo Fagiolini, explained that the new consular presence is aimed especially at the thousands of Romanians in Tuscany.

Fagiolini voiced confidence that the opening of the new honorary consulate strengthens the consolidated relationship between Romania and Italy, given "the main Italian groups, companies and banks operating in Romania, as well as the more than 300 weekly flights that make the connection between the two countries."