The Foreign Investors Council (FIC) has proposed a set of priorities for Romania’s future government programme, aimed at strengthening the country’s competitiveness, increasing its attractiveness to investors and supporting long-term economic development.
The recommendations focus on five key areas considered essential to the economy: fiscal and macroeconomic predictability; a functional and competitive energy market; clearer regulations and modern tax administration; attracting strategic investments; and the genuine digital transformation of the public sector.
FIC stresses that Romania is entering a period in which economic decisions need to be better coordinated, more predictable and focused on results. Frequent fiscal changes, high financing costs, energy pressures and the slow pace of public and private investment could undermine the economy’s ability to achieve sustainable growth.
On the fiscal side, FIC recommends a multiannual consolidation framework, an annual calendar for tax changes and avoiding measures that could negatively affect productive investment. In the energy sector, lower prices are essential to improving competitiveness. This objective depends on a fully functional market supported by coherent, predictable and long-term regulatory frameworks.
FIC also calls for accelerated investment in generation capacity, storage, grids and cross-border interconnections, alongside targeted measures to protect vulnerable consumers without distorting market mechanisms.
The organisation further proposes improving the regulatory process through meaningful public consultations, impact assessments and greater decision-making transparency. Tax administration should make more effective use of data already available through existing digital systems, reducing duplicate reporting requirements and directing inspections towards areas presenting genuine tax risks.
To attract major investments, FIC recommends transparent timelines for EU funds and state aid schemes, faster assessment and contracting procedures, and a dedicated framework for strategic projects worth more than EUR 200 million. Such projects would focus on creating new industrial capacity, reducing the trade deficit and strengthening economic competitiveness across European supply chains.
Reforming the Romanian Agency for Investment and Foreign Trade (ARICE) into a single point of contact for investors could also improve coordination between public authorities and strengthen Romania’s ability to compete for major industrial projects.
Another key priority is the digitalisation of public administration. FIC supports the appointment of a single coordinator for the digital transformation of the public sector, the interoperability of public systems, the implementation of the “once-only” principle, and the development of digital and artificial intelligence skills through education and vocational training.
“Romania needs more than isolated measures. It needs a coherent, predictable framework focused on investment. FIC’s recommendations are an invitation to technical dialogue and coordinated action, so that Romania can become a more competitive economy, better prepared to attract investment and better able to turn available opportunities into sustainable growth,” said Ruxandra Băndilă, Executive Director of FIC.
FIC said the proposed measures are intended to provide public decision-makers with the expertise of private investors, alongside concrete recommendations aimed at improving the competitiveness of the Romanian economy.
By implementing these measures, Romania could reduce investment risks, accelerate the absorption of EU funds, increase productivity and strengthen business confidence. FIC said it remains available to continue its dialogue with public authorities in order to turn these recommendations into practical and implementable public policies.