Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is an essential pillar for Romania's economic development, playing a crucial role in accelerating modernization processes, boosting economic competitiveness and reducing the gap with the more advanced economies in the European Union.
The Foreign Investors Council (FIC) is the association that brings together 110 of the largest and most important Romanian companies with foreign capital, with a combined turnover representing one fifth of GDP. FIC member companies have always maintained that economic growth is based on a dialogue between policy makers and investors that can ensure transparency and predictability, develop free market mechanisms and facilitate the integration of the Romanian economy into the European market.
One of FIC's main objectives is to support the authorities in attracting foreign direct investment to Romania. To this end, FIC organizes meetings with authorities, develops recommendations to improve the legal framework for investment and provides examples of best practices existing in other countries in the CEE region. In 2017, FIC also started a project dedicated to assessing the contribution of foreign direct investment (FDI) to the development of the economy in Romania compared to countries in the CEE region. Thus, together with the Academy of Economic Studies (ASE), FIC has produced three editions of the Report on Foreign Direct Investment in Romania, the most recent edition being published at the end of 2023. The FDI Report provides analysis of foreign investment flows and how they have contributed to Romania's economic growth in recent years.
With this new edition of the study dedicated to FDI, FIC aims to present a detailed analysis of the evolution of FDI in Romania, starting from the economic transition in the 1990s to recent trends marked by structural economic changes in the growth model and geopolitical challenges. The report not only X-rays the evolution of FDI and its impact on the Romanian economy, but also offers a series of strategic recommendations aimed at maximizing the potential of foreign investment.