{"id":9849,"date":"2026-04-22T12:01:41","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T12:01:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/?p=9849"},"modified":"2026-04-22T12:01:41","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T12:01:41","slug":"business-sentiment-index-investor-confidence-stabilizes-concerns-about-romanias-legislative-predictability-persist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/?p=9849","title":{"rendered":"Business Sentiment Index: Investor confidence stabilizes, concerns about Romania\u2019s legislative predictability persist"},"content":{"rendered":"

The latest edition of the <\/em>Business Sentiment Index (BSI), a survey carried out every six months by the Foreign Investors Council (FIC), shows a cautiously improving outlook for revenues and investment, alongside persistent concerns about legislative predictability, competitiveness in attracting FDI with peer locations, and rising cost pressures.<\/p>\n

The overall business environment index has improved compared to the last survey carried out in October 2025. However, 51% of the surveyed companies still believe that the business environment has worsened compared to 68% in October 2025.<\/p>\n

At the same time, expectations regarding revenues for the coming year show a moderate improvement. A total of 53% of companies expect revenues from Romanian operations to grow, up from 46% in the previous edition, while 20% foresee a contraction.<\/p>\n

On the domestic market, 51% of respondents anticipate growth and 30% expect stagnation. Export expectations remain more subdued, with 25% anticipating growth and 58% expecting stagnation. Overall, 51% of respondents foresee business growth, compared to 42% in October 2025, while the share expecting stagnation declined from 49% to 32%.<\/p>\n

Investment intentions<\/strong> have recovered, the survey showed, with 37% of respondents planning to increase capital investment over the next 12 months, a 12-percentage point increase from the previous edition and a return to levels recorded in the fall of 2024. At the same time, 39% of companies intend to maintain their investment plans, while 24% expect to reduce them.<\/p>\n

Perceptions of Romania\u2019s attractiveness<\/strong> compared with peer locations remain mixed. A total of 46% of respondents consider Romania less attractive, an increase from 42% in the previous edition, while 34% report no change in attractiveness.<\/p>\n

Romania is perceived as uncompetitive in bureaucracy (88%), transparency and consistency of policy application (78%), regulatory burden (75%), fiscal burden (61%), and infrastructure (53%). The availability of an adequate workforce (58%) remains the only area perceived as competitive.<\/p>\n

Concerns regarding predictability<\/strong> remain high, with 53% of respondents considering the legislative environment less predictable, while 32% expect it to remain unchanged. The share of companies perceiving an improvement has declined to 16%, the highest level recorded since the March 2023 edition.<\/p>\n

Legislative uncertainty (68%), inflation and interest rates (65%), and taxation (63%) are the most frequently cited concerns. Political uncertainty concerns 56% of respondents, while energy-related concerns have increased to 42%, the highest level since 2023.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, half of the companies expect no change in employee numbers, while 25% anticipate a decrease and 24% expect an increase. Cost management remains a priority, with 80% of respondents evaluating cost reduction measures, similar to the level reported in the fall 2025 edition (83%).<\/p>\n

At the same time, companies are increasingly focusing on transformation and resilience, with 80% of respondents considering increased investments in robotics, automation, and artificial intelligence, signaling a strong shift toward digitalization and operational efficiency.<\/p>\n

A majority of respondents report significant cost increases, driven by higher taxation (including turnover tax, dividend tax, and sector-specific levies), inflationary pressures affecting wages, utilities, and inputs, as well as weaker demand and declining purchasing power. Increased compliance and administrative costs have further complicated matters. As a result, many companies are delaying or scaling back investment plans, reassessing capital allocation amid lower returns and heightened uncertainty.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe latest Business Sentiment Index shows a cautious stabilization in investor confidence and a moderate recovery in investment intentions, which is encouraging. However, these signals remain fragile. Predictability of the legislative environment and Romania\u2019s competitiveness relative to peer locations continue to remain concerns for investors,\u201d said Ruxandra Bandila, Executive Director of the Foreign Investors Council.<\/p>\n

The Business Sentiment Index is conducted among CEOs and top management of FIC member companies. It is meant to capture their expectations for their businesses and the Romanian economy over the short- to medium-term.<\/p>\n

Among the respondents at this edition, half reported annual turnovers exceeding RON 1 billion, and 45% employ more than 1,000 people. A total of 97% of respondents operate in the services, manufacturing, and retail sectors.<\/p>\n

(Photo: Diony Teixeira\/ Dreamstime<\/a>)<\/em><\/p>\n

simona@romania-insider.com<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The latest edition of the Business Sentiment Index (BSI), a survey carried out every six months by the Foreign Investors Council (FIC), shows a cautiously improving outlook for revenues and investment, alongside persistent concerns about legislative predictability, competitiveness in attracting FDI with peer locations, and rising cost pressures. The overall business environment index has improved […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9849","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9849","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9849"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9849\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9849"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9849"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9849"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}