The construction sector is the growth engine of the economy and will continue to be a priority of the government, prime minister Marcel Ciolacu said on Wednesday at the opening of the International Conference on Innovation in Construction „Solving the digital puzzle in construction” – INNOCONSTRUCT 2024, held at the Bucharest Technical University of Construction.

„I am proud of what you have achieved, especially in the last two years. You have broken a myth – that Romanian companies are not capable of building European level motorways, sanitary units, stadiums or sports halls! Today, everywhere we look in the country, we see construction sites where Romanian builders prove that they can meet extremely rigorous technical standards. I know that, often, there are reputable foreign companies that refuse to participate in projects considered too complicated or where financial analysis shows them that the profit is not what they expected. I know that only Romanian companies took over certain projects after the contracts were terminated and no other foreign company wanted to complicate itself with segments of motorways, express roads, buildings that were important, both nationally and locally. Instead, our companies have courageously assumed these investments and are completing them impeccably! Which is why, on behalf of the Romanian Government, I want to thank you for this,” Ciolacu said.

He stressed that, thanks to the work of Romanian builders, our country has managed in the last two years to maintain an „unprecedented” pace of investments.

„These are the first two years in which Romania had an investment-based economic growth of GDP. (…) This will have to continue, in conjunction with consumption, over the next seven years. If we only talk of the European funds, because the National Recovery and Resilience Plan overlaps with the current financial year, we have investments of over EUR 70 billion, most of which in infrastructure. Here, we add investment money from the national budget,” the prime minister said.

According to him, the construction sector contributes 8% to Romania’s annual GDP, with an increase from year to year.

„For me, in particular, the value chain in construction means a priority ecosystem in the economy and a strategic pillar for the development of the country. My interest, as Prime Minister, is to help Romanian companies in this field develop, grow their businesses and hire more workforce. I know that, thus, you have already managed to bring home some of the Romanians who left to work in the diaspora, because you offer qualified employees better salaries than abroad, of over 2,000 euros,” Ciolacu explained.

He also highlighted the importance of billions of euros of European funds available for digitization and innovation, to which he added the importance of qualified human resources.

AGERPRES