To invest (or not to invest) in Romania

In July Business Review Magazine organized the 7th edition of the French Investors Forum in Bucharest. Large French companies such as Renault, Orange and Total outlined their investment plans while Olivier Ravon of Gosselin Mobility talked about the attractiveness of Romania and the challenges it has to face.

French companies were among the first foreign investors to show interest and confidence in the development potential of the Romanian economy in the early 1990’s. Today the economy is still developing. 2015 was a year of spectacular economic growth for Romania.

“Romania has a lot of potential”, says Olivier. “The country offers a strong alternative to countries like Poland and the Czech Republic for companies wanting to invest in Eastern Europe. Romania has a very good ratio between quality of life and cost of life, making it an inviting destination for expatriates.”

“The perception of investors is evolving. Romania used to have a bad image abroad but that is changing. One of the challenges Romania is facing is the development of infrastructure. Better roads would attract more companies.”

Some facts and figures

The Mercer Quality of Living Survey ranks 230 cities on the quality of life. According to this survey Bucharest ranks at 172 for the cost of living and at 109 for the quality of living. In other words a relatively low cost versus a good quality of life.

The most expensive cities to live in are: Hong Kong, Luanda, Zurich, Singapore and Tokyo. The cities offering the highest level of quality are Vienna, Zurich, Auckland, Munich and Vancouver.