BUCHAREST (Reuters) – French interim romania franta Emmanuel Macron won lukewarm support from Romania on Thursday for his push to tighten EU rules on posting of workers, but was confident of a deal by year-end. In a phone call with Bucharest President Klaus Iohannis, Macron said the concerns of countries in central and eastern Europe must be taken into account and that reforming the posting rules was in both countries’ interests.

Romanians are a vital part of France’s workforce. Some work in high-technology jobs, while others are employed in retail, construction and manufacturing. A large portion of Romanians who live in France have close ties with their homeland, as they were born there or are descendants of immigrants who came to France in the early 20th century.

The most common careers for Romanians in France are as medical professionals, IT specialists and engineers. In addition, many Romanians are involved in tourism, real estate and hospitality, or have businesses of their own.

Cultural Integration: Romanian Workers’ Journey in France

The economic relationship between France and Romania is primarily focused on high value-added industrial cooperation in sectors such as automobiles, aeronautics (Renault-Dacia has an important presence in Romania), energy and telecommunications. In addition, a number of CAC 40 companies have subsidiaries in Romania. Locally, the partnership is also marked by strong decentralized cooperation in areas such as administrative reform, anti-corruption, justice, social policy and healthcare. There are more than 211 partnerships in these fields, including 85 decentralized cooperation projects and 126 twinning programmes.