Companies in the AHK Romania community call for cooperation and unity between the social, economic and political environments and demand more flexibility from the state to reduce bureaucracy regarding the allocation of funds for companies and investments.
“It is essential to remain united, to be competitive, to adapt to the current geopolitical context, marked by challenges and continuous transformations. Only through a coherent and proactive approach can we create a climate favorable to the sustainable development of the business environment and the consolidation of the economy”, said the general director of AHK Romania, Sebastian Metz, on the occasion of the monthly meeting of the members of the Romanian-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
In a context in which the geopolitical factor is the one that influences the markets, the capacity of companies to act is increasingly limited, and they must understand how to act in markets that are no longer free, also believes the president of AHK Romania, Andreas Lier. “We are witnessing a challenging economic and geopolitical situation, and many of the AHK Romania member companies are feeling these challenges more and more. But together I believe we can face them. Romania has good opportunities and prospects in areas such as fossil and renewable energy, agriculture, food, IT, but also large infrastructure investment projects,” he explained.
Romania maintains its attractiveness for investment, believes the CEO of the E.ON Romania group, Volker Raffel. However, he argues that a more predictable market is needed and that “we need to use this time for the state and companies to find offers on the energy market, not only for the next semester, but also for the next year. For me it is very clear: we need to cooperate closely in Europe, change the way we do business and politics, adapt, be flexible and do this very quickly. You see how quickly things are changing globally. Otherwise Europe, including Romania, will be left behind.”
The head of the Prime Minister’s Chancellery, Ștefan-Radu Oprea, said that predictability is being redefined these days, because “we know that there will be a new tax system, because of the customs duties imposed by other states. We will have to see when, how high they will be and what the impact will be.” He added that the price of energy is high for all companies in Europe, but he was confident that from 2027 Romania will have a good, clean energy mix, as well as cheap storage possibilities. “With our oil and gas industry, with all the geography, we can be the best friends of Romanian and German companies. I see a future for business in Romania, as long as Romania is in the European Union,” he said. Radu Oprea also said that the government’s priorities include simplifying bureaucracy for the business environment, maintaining the deficit at 7% this year, reducing public spending and absorbing as much money as possible from the PNRR, as it will not be extended.
For his part, the honorary advisor to the interim president of Romania, Dragoș Anastasiu, signaled that changes are needed in the way business and politics are done in Romania, these months until the elections being defining on the direction the country will take in the future. “Everything changes and a lot of diplomacy is needed, we have to make sure that we are going in the right direction. The situation is complicated, but when there are crises, opportunities also appear. Let’s stay united, let’s be fast, let’s act smart, let’s adapt. If in two months we are on the right track, I will be optimistic, otherwise it will be very difficult”, he concluded.
The first meeting of the AHK Romania members this year on the topic of “Economic Perspectives and the Government Program” was attended by 70 representatives of member companies. The next meeting of the members will take place on April 1.