Publicat pe 12/09/2018

Bucharest, September 12^th, 2018: President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Romania (CCIR), Mr. Mihai Daraban, participated today, September 12^th, at the opening of the XXI edition of BIFE-SIM – International Fair of Furniture, Equipment, and Accessories. The event is organized by Romexpo, in partnership with CCIR and the Association of Furniture Producers in Romania (APMR).

The BIFE-SIM International Furniture Fair, held between 12^th-16^th September 2018, brings to the fore the latest trends in the furniture industry and addresses to the Romanian and foreign companies, manufacturers, importers, furniture distributors, and specific decorators, as well as those who produce or sell woodworking equipment and accessories.

The President of CCIR, Mr. Mihai Daraban, emphasized the importance of the furniture industry in terms of Romania’s trade volume. “It is an honor for us to open this exhibition, especially as it is an industry that makes the most of a natural resource existing in Romania. Any cubic meter of wood leaving Romania should be in the form of a cabinet, chair or table. If we keep our descendants as much as possible, we will have to take this into account and stop any logs from Romania and absolutely go as products of the furniture industry. This industry has a substantial contribution to Romania’s economy, both in terms of trade and the over 60 thousand jobs it offers” – Mr. Mihai Daraban.

“The furniture industry recorded a 700 million-euro surplus in the first five months of this year. The Business Environment Ministry supports this performance through the Foresight and Exhibition Program, which this year has a double budget over previous years. Also, on Monday, at 10 o’clock, the application for the program called Internationalization, which comes to support companies wishing to go under their own brand at international fairs and exhibitions, will be opened”, said the Minister for the Environment, Trade, and Entrepreneurship, Mr. Ştefan-Radu Oprea.

“A report from an Italian institute shows that Romania reached the 5th position in the export of furniture in the EU and ranked 11th in the world in 2018, surpassing in this respect countries like France, Spain or Turkey. In 2006, Romania was the 13th in Europe and 20th in the world. Also, the furniture industry is an economic sector that makes good use of wood, in 2017 Romania’s trade balance was 1.5 billion euros”, said Aurica Sereny, President of the Romanian Furniture Producers Association.

Background

The BIFE-SIM will take place in the new exhibition spaces, B1 and B2, inaugurated by Romexpo in 2017, with a total area of 30,000 sqm, both inside and outside. More than 250 exhibitors, from Romania and abroad, from countries such as Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Italy, Moldova, Poland, Turkey, Belgium, Switzerland, and Italy, will participate in the fair.

In the first five months of 2018, the furniture industry in Romania recorded a commercial surplus of 694 million Euros, a level similar to the previous year, according to the APMR (Association of Furniture Producers in Romania). Between January and May 2018, Romania exported 987 million Euros in furniture and imported furniture worth about 292 million Euros, exports being 3.4 times higher than imports.