US stationed troops boost development in Kogalniceanu area

Romanian businessmen have profited as a result of the presence of American troops in Kogalniceanu, with the US government allocating around 55 million dollars this year alone for the modernisation of the military base and the local infrastructure, writes the military publication Stars and Stripes. Some see the rotation plan of the American troops as an opportunity for economic growth, although it is rather unlikely that the presence of the American troops on the Black Sea coast will have a major impact on the economy of a country with 23 million inhabitants. However, there is hope that because of American troops investments from big corporations will follow. Regardless of whether foreign investments will intensify or not, the Pentagon will fuel the local economy in the surrounding areas of the training ground and military bases. For the entire 2007 fiscal year, the American government will spend 35 million dollars (25.7 million euros) on the construction of new buildings in a former Romanian military base, where around 2,000 American troops will be stationed.