Investments by French companies in Romania have amounted to 4bn euros (the third largest foreign investments), stated France's new ambassador to Romania, Henri Paul.
Major French investors in Romania include Orange - over 1bn euros, Renault-around 700m euros, Societe Generale (which owns BRD) - over 800m euros, as well as Michelin, Lafarge, Carrefour, Alcatel and Auchan. More importantly the arrival of major companies has stirred the interest of small and medium-sized French companies in Romania, stated the ambassador, in an interview with ZF.
So far, more than 4,000 French companies have invested in Romania, and the interest in the country has been increasing its EU accession.
In addition, the ambassador highlights another aspect: "Major French companies have been quick arrive here. Yet I see that Romania, too exports more to France. (...) The situation will not stop here. There will be further projects". He offers, as an example, Gaz de France's interest in the Nabucco project.
However, the ambassador believes foreign investments will not be sufficient enough for Romania to boast a harmonious growth.
"I have been in Romania for a short while. What I see is very strong economic growth in recent years. I can see major investments, but also some imbalances (...) I believe Romania's future largely depends on balanced growth for different sectors, and for different regions. This is what will drive economic growth in Romania, not just foreign investments, but also internal growth, with a policy that supports balanced growth. However, it is also apparent that Romania is now heading in the right direction," explained the ambassador.
There is one sector that has not been highly exploited by large French companies - the financial-banking sector. The French ambassador believes there is an explanation for this: "The Romanian financial system is already strong. Introducing a new bank is a very difficult task in my opinion (...) Without a doubt, investments are still possible in the insurance sector."
Romania and France have a privileged relationship, and Paris can offer a great deal of help to Bucharest to become successful in the EU, believes Henri Paul.
According to the new French ambassador in Bucharest, Romania will also be a partner for France in the EU.
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