Romania’s country project at this moment should include the accession to the OECD and the implementation of the PNRR, in order to recover the gap we have with the countries of Western Europe, said on Monday Ionuț Simion, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Romania (AmCham Romania).

“Joining NATO and the European Union are currently seen as the most important competitive advantages of our country. They were, if you will, the country project of the generation of the ’90s-2000s. At this time, the country project of Romania should be the accession to the OECD and the successful implementation of the PNRR, because joining the OECD will enable us to continue to undertake those reforms needed to close this gap that we have with the developed countries of Western Europe,” said Simion, according to Agerpres.

He said AmCham members have identified reforms, including investment in infrastructure, accelerating the digitalization of public services and health care reform as priorities.

Also, the promotion of Romania is very important.

“Promoting Romania does not mean sending extended delegations for extended holidays to various exotic destinations, but sending competent people to highlight the advantages of the Romanian economy, so that investors are really interested in our country,” Simion completed.

At the same time, Romania should be proactive in attracting investors from China, Russia, and even Ukraine, who want to relocate their production.

“We need a bridge between the West and the East. Due to its geographical location, Romania can be a regional hub for attracting these investments and for placing itself on the supply chain, and for this there must be efforts and an active promotion of Romania,” said, in his turn, Ionuț Sas, first vice-president of AmCham.

The representatives of the organization added that we should not wait for foreign companies to come to us, but for the representatives of the Romanian authorities to go to companies to convince them to come to Romania.

“It is not even necessary to give them facilities, but stability. It is not enough just to build a legal, fiscal system, but it is also necessary to trust the business environment,” pointed out Cristian Sporiş, vice-president of the Chamber.