A still significant share of the foreign investors in Romania surveyed by the Foreign Investors Council (FIC), namely 40%, expect their markets to expand, while 47% expect stagnation, leaving a small share of investors undecided or pessimistic. The expectations for external demand are below average, with only 29% of those surveyed expecting higher exports and 62% expecting stagnation.<\/p>\n
The share of foreign investors planning to increase their exposure to Romania was reported at 25%, 10 percentage points lower compared to the latest edition of the bi-annual survey carried out by FIC, and the lowest value seen in the past decade.<\/p>\n
Only 46% of respondents expect revenue growth from operations in Romania in 2026, down from 55% in the previous edition. While this development indicates a downward trend, it still reflects a relatively positive outlook on the potential of the Romanian market, especially compared to more reserved expectations in other regional markets, according to FIC.<\/p>\n
Investors\u2019 sentiment about the general business environment in Romania remains gloomy, but it has improved slightly compared to the previous edition.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Some 68% of respondents believe that the business environment has deteriorated, a slight improvement of 4 percentage points compared to the spring edition.<\/p>\n
Some 69% of FIC members consider the legislative environment less predictable. However, 9% now consider it more predictable \u2013 a modest but positive change compared to the last four editions.<\/p>\n
Romania is perceived as uncompetitive in several areas: bureaucracy (78%), regulatory burden (78%), transparency and consistency of policy implementation (73%), fiscal burden (58%), and infrastructure (53%). The availability of an adequate workforce is the only area considered competitive (64%).<\/p>\n