The position of member of the Board of Directors of the European Institute of Technology and Innovation (EIT) is not a political one and is not a position that was due to be offered to Romania, but was won after an exam, wrote, on Tuesday, on Facebook, Răzvan Nicolescu, former minister of Energy, newly appointed in this position.
On Monday, the EIT announced the appointment by the European Commission of four new members to the Board of Directors, namely Răzvan Nicolescu (former Minister of Energy), Jan Figel (former European Commissioner and Slovak Deputy Prime Minister), Janis Grevins (university professor) and Nora Khaldi (CEO of a biotech company)
“I thank the European Commission for the appointment in board the European Institute of Technology and Innovation (EIT), one of the most dynamic and avant-garde institutions in the European Union. The appointment is the end result of a complex selection process I learned from ‘The Economist’. It is not a political appointment or a position that belonged to Romania, but a position that a Romanian won through a competition, competing with many other Europeans. Which is why I encourage you to believe in your chances … As far as I am concerned, it cannot be more awesome than to be at the forefront of a great European organization that aims to contribute to the good change of humanity,” said Nicolescu.
According to him, combating climate change, clean energy and urban mobility are among the EIT’s priorities.
“As in the period (2010-2016) when I was in charge of another European institution (European Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators) I will do everything I can for the success of the EIT (#EITCommunity). I will work from Bucharest, and I will go to the EIT headquarters when needed,” the institution’s representative continued.
He was concerned that, in the last financial year, Romania had accessed only 1.8 million euro out of the 2.4 billion administered by the EIT, occupying, by far, the last place among the EU countries.
“For the country that recently offered the world UiPath, is very little. I hope that my appointment will be an impetus for Romanian universities, research institutes, startups and companies to pursue and benefit from EIT funding that will increase in the years to come but also by belonging to the largest innovation network in Europe,” Nicolescu added, according to Agerpres.
The appointment of Răzvan Nicolescu to the EIT Board of Directors represents the first nomination of a Romanian in the governing forum of this European institution, being the final result of a complex recruitment process carried out by an independent panel of experts.
The term of office of the new members of the Board of Directors is of four years.