Romania Property Investment News

Investors rate Romania for investment potential

A recent survey has found that foreign investors rank Romania as the most attractive country for investment in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), above such countries as the Czech Republic and Hungary. The results of this survey come at the same time as reports that, since its NATO membership began, Romania has received eight times the level of foreign investment that it attracted before it became a member.

In other findings, the survey (conducted by the Centre for European Economic Research) found that investors view the economies of CEE more favourably than it did a few months ago. Of the investors questioned, 37% believed Romania was the most attractive country for investment in the area, 61% felt it was the most attractive country for mergers and acquisitions and 61% also thought that Romanian companies were the most active in the region.

The optimism displayed by investors in the CEE region suggests a change in attitude in recent months. A spokesperson for the Centre for European Economic Research commented: “At the beginning of the year investors were pessimistic and sceptical about Romania and other countries in the region, but that has all changed now”, which augurs well for investment in Romanian property over coming months.

The survey also found German and Austrian private individuals to be the most active investors in the region, with Austria being the main foreign investor in Romania.

Romania’s accession into the EU and NATO is thought to be responsible for the boost to foreign investment, and the annual average for foreign investments now is eight times higher than it was during the 1991-2002 period. As well as direct effects of funding into the region and improvements to infrastructure, membership of the EU provides investors in Romania real estate with an added sense of stability.