Foreign direct investment plays a very important role in the Romanian economy, its contribution to the gross value added of non-financial corporations being 39% in December 2024, said on Tuesday, the first deputy governor of the National Bank of Romania (NBR), Leonardo Badea.
“Foreign direct investment plays a very important role in the Romanian economy. If we look at the economies in the region, where both the annual net inflows and the accumulated stock are almost double those in Romania, we realize that the dynamics of foreign investment remains below real potential. This gap does not reflect a lack of opportunities, but the need to build predictability, transparency and institutional competitiveness, elements that investors evaluate before any macroeconomic indicators,” said Badea, according to Agerpres.
In his opinion, Romania has a solid potential to attract foreign direct investment.
“Its geostrategic position at the crossroads of trade corridors and access to the single market provides a stable operating framework for companies looking to diversify their production. In addition, relocation trends driven by geopolitical tensions, rising production costs in Asia and European policies to secure supply chains can amplify interest in Romania if legislative predictability and logistics infrastructure are improved. The presence of international companies brings advanced technologies, managerial know-how and modern operational standards that are then transferred to local suppliers through spillover effects and their integration into global value chains. This process actually creates synergies between foreign and domestic companies, driving the modernization of industries and the intensification of research and development activities, which raises the overall level of specialization of human capital in the economy,” he said.
According to the NBR official, overall, capital inflows are becoming “a catalyst for the structural transformation of the economy, for competitiveness, convergence and economic growth, all in a sustainable manner.”
“Also, Romania is already making efforts to correct the deterioration of fiscal and external indicators reflected by the twin deficits and the increase in public debt. These efforts underline the country’s message regarding commitments and policy credibility. Investors are not looking for the most favorable fiscal regime or promises, but for the most solid partnership in a global competition, which, in fact, is based on talent, innovation and integrated economic ecosystems. They are not looking, in fact, for isolated opportunities, but for a predictable and modern framework, and Romania, in my opinion, can offer all of this,” added Leonardo Badea.
He conveyed that, if structural reforms are accelerated, foreign capital will inevitably intensify its presence in the Romanian economy.
“A strategic development needs targeted and calibrated programs, which must stimulate investments where they are needed. At the level of the National Committee for Macroprudential Supervision, these have been identified as the following: food security, energy security, the defense industry and areas that can generate high added value, including entities that incorporate artificial intelligence into their own activity. The Romanian banking sector is part of the solution for implementing projects in those strategic areas, maintaining its resilience and being supported by adequate capitalization and prudent risk management,” the NBR official also said.