France has been a strategic investor in Romania for the past 30 years, and the value of its investments here amounted to 9.7 billion euros in 2022 – almost 10% of the total level of foreign direct investments, said Julien Munch, the president, on Monday Chamber of Commerce and Industry of France in Romania (CCIFER).
“France has been a strategic investor in Romania for 30 years. In 2022, the value of French investments in Romania was 9.7 billion euros, i.e. almost 10% of the total level of foreign direct investments. French investments contributed to the development of strategic fields for Romania, such as: energy, agriculture, the automobile industry, large food distribution, aviation, finance and banks, shipbuilding, digitization and high technologies, telecommunications, construction materials and health. Trade exchanges increased by over 26.4% , up to 277.4 billion euros in 2022. I think I can say that French investors contribute to the creation of added value in Romania, in collaboration with Romanian companies. They appreciate the entrepreneurial and innovative spirit of this country. They are sensitive to the stability legal and to the predictability of the economic environment, thanks to European norms and free market rules, as well as thanks to political stability”, said Julien Munch, according to Agerpres.
The President of CCIFER emphasized that French investments in Romania have created stable jobs, which contribute to improving the quality of life and fulfilling a professional career for many Romanian citizens.
He specified that more than 125,000 people are employed in companies with French capital and all of them participate today in the structural transformation of the country. Added to this are the jobs associated with Romanian companies and producers, suppliers and partners of these French companies.
According to him, companies from the Franco-Romanian community are looking for a vision of the future, with pragmatism and European consciousness, in the context of the overlapping crises that Europe and its citizens are facing in recent years: the health crisis, the war in Ukraine, the climate crisis, the economic tensions and inflationary.
“What we are looking for is a vision of the future. We all have in mind the overlapping crises that have deeply marked our lives in recent years: the health crisis, the war in Ukraine, the climate crisis or even the economic and inflationary tensions. The quality of life of citizens, the competitiveness of companies , the stability and security of European countries, as well as democratic values have been put to the test by these crises and will continue to be so. The member states of the European Union, including Romania and France, have built together with the European institutions strategies to manage these crises There are deep transformations that the European Union has started to go through,” added Julien Munch.
The president of CCIFER also pointed out the importance of collaboration and partnership, in order to ensure the economic and social development of a country, in the long term.
“Being together means the ability to bring together, in a common dynamic, the public and private actors that determine the long-term economic and social development of a country. Overcoming crises, turning difficulties into opportunities and participating in the creation of value in economies ours – this is what represents the strength of the Franco-Romanian business community: the fact that we work and build together,” Julien Munch said.
In his opinion, “in such an interconnected world as it is today”, the economic growth of a country can only be done in partnership.
“Together – this means that it is not a French company or a Romanian company, they are only companies deeply involved in the economy and development of the country. The fact that among CCIFER members, we have the chance to count dozens of Romanian companies is an additional proof, if there was still a need, of the quality of exchanges within this Franco-Romanian business community,” Julien Munch pointed out.