When the Liberal-Democrat (PNL-PD) Alliance came into power, it was like Godspeed for the business of Euro Construct Trading '98. The company is controlled by the owners of the Golden Blitz restaurant, Dan Besciu and Sorin Vulpescu. In the meantime, the business of Spedition UMB, controlled by Dorinel Umbrarescu, a man close to the Social Democrat Party (PSD) took a nosedive.
This has not stopped them from joining forces to build the Bucharest-Ploiesti motorway, a 200 million-euro project. The other party involved in the project is PA&CO International, a company held by another businessman close to PSD, from Moldova, Costel Casuneanu.
The turnover of Euro Construct Trading '98 will double to 27 million euros this year. The company's business was worth only 12 million euros in 2003.
On the other hand, Spedition UMB saw its business halve in 2005, the Liberal-Democrat Alliance's first year in power, down to 50 million euros from 100 million euros in 2004. The company's revenues in 2003 had reached 68 million euros.
The idea to team up came from businessman Dorinel Umbrarescu, who used to call the shots in the road infrastructure business from 2000 through to 2004, when PSD was in power. Costel Casuneanu, the owner of PA&CO from Bacau was one of the "heavyweights" of this market, too, during the same period.
Euro Construct Trading '98 made a strong move on the market last year when it landed several contracts in the Capital, as well as the modernisation of a section of the Bucharest-Pitesti highway. Besciu and Vulpescu are part of the inner circle of President Traian Basescu.
How did Spedition UMB and Euro Construct Trading '98 come to join forces in a business put at over 200 million euros, since they are on opposing sides at first sight?
"The proposition to create a partnership came from Spedition UMB. The solution of a partnership between Spedition UMB and PA&CO was the only alternative to be able to participate in the tender. Only the cumulated experience of the three companies would have enabled us to participate in the tender for the Bucharest-Pitesti motorway section," Dan Besciu, one of the principal shareholders of Euro Construct Trading '98 explained for ZIARUL FINANCIAR.
No Romanian company would have been able to meet the requirements set forth in the terms of the contract for the Bucharest-Brasov highway, if it contended alone, the makers of this alliance say. Work on the Bucharest-Brasov highway is put at 1.6 billion euros, with the money set to be allocated from the state budget.
"We could not have participated in this tender on our own, because no Romanian company has carried out any work of such scope. Only together with other partners could we gain similar experience as that of the foreign competitors," says Dorin Umbrarescu.
There is also a fourth company in the consortium, Comaxa, a design firm from Vaslui.
The contenders left in the race for the Bucharest-Ploiesti section of the highway are Vinci (France), Strabag (Austria) and Vegyepszer (Hungary).
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