Publicat pe 18/04/2023

Bucharest, April 18, 2023: The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Romania (CCIR), the most powerful organization promoting the business environment and the main mediator between political decision-makers and Romanian entrepreneurs, appeals to the authorities of the Romanian State regarding the problem of lack of money from the state budget.

CCIR expresses its concern regarding the budgetary situation presented by the Ministry of Finance, a context in which Romania risks losing the most important advantages it has: predictability and low taxation.

In this context, the CCIR reiterates the urgent need for administrative reorganization of Romania, by reducing the number of counties from 42 to 15, redefining the notion of a commune as a locality with at least 5,000 inhabitants, as well as redefining the notion of a city as a locality with at least 10,000 residents. At the same time, all decentralized public institutions must be regrouped under this new administrative form.

In the current circumstances, Romania is no longer an attractive destination for foreign investors from the point of view of skilled labor and because of the chaotic retrocessions. Thus, Romania could find itself unable to provide land for the opening of production lines, especially in the context in which many businesses have started their relocation from Asia. Romania’s only medium and long-term attractiveness may remain low taxation supported by predictability.

In this complicated conjuncture, the CCIR believes that there is a risk that by adopting some erroneous measures in terms of covering budget holes, the business environment will become, if not a scapegoat, then at least a collateral victim.

This approach of the National Chamber, absolutely necessary for the urgent territorial reorganization of Romania, was joined by several employers’ organizations and associations, such as: the Romanian Employers’ Association of the Milling, Bakery and Flour Products Industry (ROMPAN), the Employers’ Federation of the Construction Materials Industry from Romania (PATROMAT), the League of Associations of Agricultural Producers from Romania (LAPAR), the National Association of Travel Agencies from Romania (ANAT), the Federation of Romanian Transport Operators (FORT), the National Interprofessional Viticulture Organization (ONIV) and the Association of Brokers from Romania.