More than 775 Ukrainian companies have entered the Romanian market since the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022, and more than 300 Ukrainian companies have started working in Romania in 2023 alone, the president of The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Romania (CCIR), Mihai Daraban, told Interfax-Ukraine.
“From the very beginning of the aggression, CCIR supported the relocation of Ukrainian companies. Depending on the sectors of activity, we believe that the relocation will be a timely decision for Ukrainian business, as there are sectors in the Romanian economy that can accommodate new companies,” he said.
Among the more than 300 Ukrainian companies that started operating in Romania in 2023, a significant part of them are from the IT sector (121 companies), the second most popular are services (47), and the third is construction of residential and non-residential buildings (33). There are also companies engaged in trade, road transportation of goods, and business and management consulting.
Overall, according to the State Customs Service of Ukraine, cooperation between our countries has more than doubled since 2022. In 2023, imports from Romania to Ukraine increased to $1.6 billion (from $0.8 billion in 2021 and $1.5 billion in 2022), and in commodity terms, to 1.1 million tons (0.5 million tons in 2021 and 1.1 million tons in 2022). Exports from Ukraine to Romania in 2023 will amount to $3.8 billion ($1.5 billion in 2021 and $3.9 billion in 2022), 11.7 million tons (3.4 million tons in 2021 and 11 million tons in 2022).
According to Daraban, Romanian companies are interested in developing such industries as green energy, information technology, defense and transportation, construction materials, value-added technologies, and aeronautics in Ukraine.
Last year, a memorandum was signed between the CCI of Ukraine and the CCI of Romania, which, among other things, provided for the creation and joint management of a platform for utilizing economic opportunities related to the future recovery of Ukraine. However, according to CCIR, the platform is still under development.
“Currently, we do not have the necessary information on specific reconstruction projects and their prioritization, as this is the prerogative of the Ukrainian authorities. Pragmatically assessing the difficult situation in Ukraine, the Romanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry maintains an ongoing dialogue with Romanian companies that have expressed interest in being part of the process of rebuilding Ukraine. Thanks to the cooperation with the CCI, we will be able to unite these companies with their Ukrainian counterparts when the situation allows,” Daraban said.
He confirmed that the current situation has exacerbated the problems faced by Romanian companies in the Ukrainian market.
“It is important to work more on transparency of the dynamics of the economic environment in Ukraine, providing the international business community with more detailed information on customs and tax legislation, regulatory and general legal framework of Ukraine. In addition, a greater emphasis on normal competitiveness, predictability and instruments for protecting foreign investment in Ukraine will increase the interest of Romanian businesses in the Ukrainian market,” he commented.
Established in 1868, the Romanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (www.ccir.ro) comprises a network of 42 territorial chambers of commerce and industry, including bilateral chambers of commerce and professional associations; it works to create a stable business climate favorable to private sector development and to consolidate a sustainable, open market.
