Hertsmere Borough Council is strengthening international ties and opening up new opportunities for business, investment and cultural collaboration through a partnership with the Romanian city of Iași.
A delegation from Iași has been visiting Hertsmere, following a visit to Romania by council representatives in October.
The visit follows Cabinet approval of plans to develop a Business and Cultural Cooperation Agreement, aimed to building stronger economic, educational and cultural links between the two areas.
During the visit, Leader Jeremy Newmark and the Mayor of Iași signed a Memorandum of Understanding for a shared vision for friendship, cooperation and opportunity. The full cooperation agreement will be presented to Full Council for consideration and approval on 25 November 2026.
The partnership will explore opportunities across a range of sectors including film and television, technology, higher education and the creative industries, helping businesses and organisations share expertise, forge new connections, and encourage investment.
The delegation visited businesses and cultural venues across the borough including Elstree Aerodrome, De Haviland Aircraft Museum, Elstree Studios, and Bhaktivedanta Manor - Hare Krishna Temple.
The partnership will also celebrate the contribution of Hertsmere’s Romanian community, strengthening the cultural and community ties that already exist.
At the signing ceremony, Cllr Jeremy Newmark - Leader of Hertsmere Borough Council, said: “This friendship did not begin with two councils. It began with people: the Romanian families who live in our community, teach in our schools, care in our hospitals, build our homes and run our businesses. They built the bridge between Hertsmere and Iași, and today we put our names on it.
“This agreement is not a piece of paper to be framed. It is a piece of work to be done. That is why I have appointed Cllr Marc Amron as our Member Champion for the relationship with Iași. It should be judged not by today’s signatures, but by the students who travel, the films that get made and the businesses that trade.
“Our new municipal link sits inside a much bigger friendship between Britain and Romania, and it carries a deeper meaning for our borough. For centuries, Iași was one of the great Jewish cities of Europe, and Hertsmere is home to one of Britain’s largest Jewish communities. In the summer of 1941, more than 13,000 of the city’s Jews were murdered in the Iași pogrom; today Iași honours their memory, has restored its Great Synagogue and tells the whole of its story. A city that is honest about its past is a city you can trust with the future. Treaties are signed in capitals. Friendships are made in places like Iași and Borehamwood.”