South-East, North-West, Centre regions the highest potential in terms of attracting direct foreign investments

 Renewable energy, logistics and nearshore production, advanced digital services and the defence industry are the economic sectors in Romania with development prospects with the help of foreign direct investment (FDI), according to a research carried out by the Academy of Economic Studies (ASE) and the Deloitte Romania Foundation, published on Tuesday.According to the research entitled "Opportunities for Foreign Investors in Romania", the top three regions, based on their potential to attract FDI, are: South-East (Constanta, Galati, Tulcea), North-East (Iasi, Bacau, Suceava) and Centre (Cluj, Alba, Sibiu).At the regional level, investment opportunities stand out especially against the backdrop of development disparities between the country's areas. Thus, the standard of living at the national level (GDP/capita at purchasing power parity) reached 78% of the European Union (EU) average in 2024, but the distribution by region remains uneven, with Bucharest-Ilfov resulting the most developed region (190% of the EU average), and with the North-East region standing at the opposite side of the scale (47% of the EU average).According to the same source, the South-East region (Constanta, Galati, Tulcea) presents investment opportunities in renewable energy, in logistics associated with the maritime domain and in the food industry, while in the North-East (Iasi, Bacau, Suceava) there is a workforce available at competitive costs and a solid educational infrastructure, with development potential for IT&C, the automotive industry, production and services, the agri-food industry and logistics, while in the Centre (Cluj, Alba, Sibiu) opportunities arise in IT&C, research and development, industry, education and infrastructure."Romania is an attractive destination for investments, offering multiple and competitive opportunities in a dynamic and challenging European and global context. However, the potential is far from being exploited to its optimum level, which is why we took this initiative to outline Romania's investment profile, with opportunities and challenges, strengths and vulnerabilities, in order to increase its visibility in the eyes of foreign investors. This analysis shows that, despite the challenges that currently affect most economies and societies, Romania offers significant business opportunities - its strategic location in the EU, diverse natural resources, access to substantial European funds, competitive costs, a sizeable market with growing purchasing power, and developments in the digital sector create a solid basis for expansion. Added to all this is the improvement of governance, economic and political stability, as well as the progress made in recent years in infrastructure development, aspects that confirm that Romania should be considered one of the most attractive investment destinations in Central and Eastern Europe," explained Alexandru Reff, country managing partner at Deloitte Romania and the Republic of Moldova.The research also includes a comprehensive analysis of the resources that foreign investors who decide to invest in Romania can have access to, from human resources (the over eight million active workers, competitive salary levels, digital and multilingual skills), natural resources (energy - oil and gas, lignite, wind, solar, hydro, geothermal energy; essential raw materials - graphite, magnesium, rare earth elements, copper, gold; mineral water springs - over 2,500; arable land - 8% of the EU's utilised agricultural area; forest fund - 6.5 million hectares), transport infrastructure (railways - 19,600 km, 20% electrified; highways - 1,300 km, of which 200 km completed in 2024), river and sea ports, airports in the main cities.At the same time, Romania offers a comprehensive framework of incentives for attracting foreign direct investment, based on several strategic pillars, such as financial support (state aid, EU funds, including through PNRR - the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, guarantees), business infrastructure (industrial parks, logistics zones) and institutional facilitators (local authorities, national agencies).In addition, Romania has a corporate tax rate of 16% , lower compared to other countries in the region, such as Slovakia (21-24%), the Czech Republic (21%) or Poland (19%).Also, research and development facilities are more generous in Romania than in other states, the tax on salary income is at a competitive level of 10% (although social contributions of 37.25%) are added to this, and the VAT is at 21%. among the lowest in the region.The study "Opportunities for Foreign Investors in Romania", conducted by a team of experts from ASE Bucharest, is part of a broad initiative by the Deloitte Romania Foundation, aimed at consolidating Romania's position as an attractive destination for foreign direct investment.