From March 27th to 29th, InfoCons was present at the Economic and Commercial Mission of the Francophonie in Central and Eastern Europe, in Romania. This mission was part of the Economic Strategy for Francophonie 2020-2025 and aimed at intensifying trade and investment exchanges between the 88 member states and governments of the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF).
InfoCons Association – Participant of the Economic and Commercial Mission of Francophonie in Romania
InfoCons was among the local participants of this event. On the opening day of the Mission, InfoCons representatives were present to disseminate educational and informative materials about the ConsoInfo App and its usefulness for consumers, directly in French.
During the days of the event, the InfoCons representatives had the opportunity to participate in the various activities organized for the participants. These activities included conferences and workshops on various topics related to the Francophonie or business opportunities. By gathering participants from all member countries of the International Organization of La Francophonie, everyone had the chance to attend business-to-business meetings with representatives of various industries, such as:
- Agri-food sector
- Digital sector, cybersecurity, video game industry
- Green energy sector
- Medical sector
Within the Economic and Commercial Mission of Francophonie in Romania, ConsoInfo was the official partner App of the event, aiming to assist and protect the delegations of all participating countries.
What is the ConsoInfo App?
The ConsoInfo App is a free tool developed to support delegations present in Romania for this exceptional event, available in French, providing users with all the useful information from Romania and beyond.
ConsoInfo can be used in French or any of the 33 languages in which it is available and can be downloaded from the App Store, Google Play, and App Gallery. ConsoInfo provides users with vital information such as:
- Quick access to national and territorial emergency numbers through the S.O.S. function in case users encounter a problem while in Romania. This section is also available offline, and phone numbers can be dialed directly from the app.
- Quick access to emergency numbers worldwide.
- Personalization of the app for those with specific health issues and special dietary needs, by setting the amount of salt, sugar, allergens, numeric and types of additives.
- EU emergency alerts for the safety and health of individuals.
- Scanning the barcode of food product labels and providing instant information in French about that product: ingredients, number and types of additives, quantity of sugar and salt, presence of allergens. An alert is triggered based on set preferences regarding food products.
- Interactive map with civil shelters in Romania in case of emergency and identification of the nearest civil shelter based on the user’s location.
- Waiting times at border crossing points into and out of Romania.
- Information regarding authorized and licensed accommodation units and travel agencies in Romania.
The International Organization of La Francophonie and its members
The International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF) is an institution based on the sharing of the French language and common values. It brings together 88 countries and governments. A 2022 report on the French language estimated that there are over 321 million French speakers globally. The OIF operates on five continents and is involved in various initiatives and policies, focusing on promoting the French language and cultural and linguistic diversity, but also other aspects. Their mission focuses on the following main areas:
- To promote the French language and cultural and linguistic diversity;
- To promote peace, democracy and human rights;
- To support education, training, higher education and research;
- To foster economic cooperation to bolster sustainable development.
The OIF pays particular attention to young people and women, and also focuses on access to information and communication technologies. The Secretary-General leads the political actions of La Francophonie, representing it officially internationally. Louise Mushikiwabo was appointed to this position in October 2018, at the 17th Francophonie Summit held in Yerevan, Armenia, beginning her term in January 2019.
The member countries of the International Organization of La Francophonie are divided into 3 categories:
- 54 Member Countries and Governments: Albania, Principality of Andorra, Armenia, Belgium, Benin, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cape Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Canada-New Brunswick, Canada-Quebec, Central African Republic, Comoros, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Djibouti, Dominica, Egypt, France, Gabon, Greece, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Haiti, Laos, Lebanon, Luxembourg, North Macedonia, Madagascar, Mali, Morocco, Mauritius, Mauritania, Moldova, Monaco, Niger, Romania, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Seychelles, Switzerland, Chad, Togo, Tunisia, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Federation Wallonia-Brussels;
- 7 Associate Members: Cyprus, United Arab Emirates, France-New Caledonia, Ghana, Kosovo, Qatar, Serbia;
- 27 Observers: Argentina, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada/Ontario, South Korea, Costa Rica, Croatia, Dominican Republic, Estonia, Gambia, Georgia, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Louisiana, Malta, Mexico, Montenegro, Mozambique, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Thailand, Ukraine, Uruguay.
Romania joined the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF) as an observer member at the Versailles Summit in 1991. The following year, at the Summit in Mauritius, Romania was promoted to full membership status within the organization. As an active member of the Francophone movement, Romania was honored in 2007 by the Secretary-General of the Francophonie, being recognized as a lighthouse state of francophone integration in the Central and Eastern European region.
Romania and La Francophonie
Romania has been a member of the European Union (EU) since 2007 and provides a stable, promising environment for French-speaking businesses. According to the Organization of La Francophonie, Romania boasts several distinct economic advantages:
- It holds a central geopolitical position, granting access to the Black Sea and proximity to both the Middle East and EU member states along all external borders.
- It possesses a sizable domestic market that offers genuine growth opportunities.
- It boasts historically robust industrial and manufacturing sectors.
Furthermore, Romania is characterized by the expansion of its tertiary sector, which revolves around new technologies and information technologies. Services presently constitute 60% of GDP and employ 50% of the country’s workforce. ConsoInfov is a relevant example of new technologies that aid in the development of the country.
The agricultural sector also presents significant potential in Romania, largely due to the abundance of fertile land, of which only a third is currently under cultivation.
To stimulate economic growth, the nation is intensifying efforts to attract foreign investment through specific measures, including tax incentives. In this regard, Romania is placing considerable emphasis on fostering business and investment relationships between its companies and their French-speaking counterparts.
These are some of the reasons why Romania is one of the important members of the of the International Organization of La Francophonie, and why this mission represented an opportunity for all local representatives to create relevant contacts and develop their businesses.
Global Context of the Economic and Commercial Mission of La Francophonie
Globally, the importance of La Francophonie can be explained through a couple of numbers. OIF provides individuals with various information on the French language, the activities organized by their institutions and so on, also making available information that shows how many individuals are directly influenced on a daily basis by the French language and culture, such as:
- There are 321 million French speakers in the world, making it the fifth most spoken language globally in terms of number of speakers;
- French is the language of instruction for 93 million students and pupils, placing it fourth worldwide in this field;
- On the Internet, French is the fourth most used language;
- 51 million people are learning French.
The mission brought together a high-level economic forum and business-to-business sessions, especially in the agri-food sector, digital – including cybersecurity and the video game industry, green energy, and the medical sector, and included support from experts, visits to company headquarters. Additionally, the mission aimed to identify and realize commercial and investment opportunities with firms with similar or complementary profiles from OIF member states.
Within the Economic and Commercial Mission of the Francophonie in Central and Eastern Europe, organized at the Palace of the Parliament in Bucharest, representatives of the 88 member countries of the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF) were present.
In conclusion, the ConsoInfo App emerges as an important tool in facilitating economic and commercial endeavors within the member states of La Francophonie, under the auspices of the Economic and Commercial Mission of La Francophonie in Romania. As an initiative supported by the InfoCons Association, ConsoInfo stands at the intersection of technological innovation and global engagement with consumers. The ConsoInfo App represents a commitment to fostering bilateral and multilateral partnerships worldwide. Moreover, against the backdrop of a rapidly evolving global economy, the ConsoInfo App underscores the importance of collaboration and information exchange within the broader context of the Economic and Commercial Mission of La Francophonie, thereby reinforcing Romania’s position within the Francophone community and the international market.
Sources :
- https://missions-economiques.roumanie.francophonie.org/en
- https://www.francophonie.org/