Total foreign investment in Romanian companies exceeded EUR 50 billion in 2022, with the Netherlands (9.3 billion euros), Germany (5.4 billion euros) and Austria (5.3 billion euros) topping the ranking, according to data with the National Companies Registry Office (ONRC) analysed by ONV Law, Agerpres informs.
The largest foreign investment was absorbed by companies operating in wholesale and retail trade and repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles (25.05%), professional, administrative, scientific and technical activities (20.81%) and those on the transport, storage and communications segment (19.6%).
„Last year, Romania was an attractive investment target amid the relocation of several businesses or the geographic reorientation of some multinational companies amid the conflict in Ukraine. Apart from this aspect, several foreign investment merger and acquisition plans came to fruition last year as a result of processes already started in the previous years. Among the very active areas on the market on this segment, we particularly noted infrastructure, transport and mobility sectors, the pharmaceutical sector, industrial production, construction, and also the financial, communications, automotive or energy services,” says Radu Nemes, Managing Partner ONV Law.
Most of the foreign capital investment took place in the economically developed regional hubs: the city of Bucharest, Ilfov County and the western counties, due to their proximity to the Schengen area, according to the analysis. ONV Law assisted in 2022 more than 20 local mergers and acquisitions, generally representing international buyers. These large multinational groups with an extensive geographical presence, took over local companies of a cumulative annual business volume of over 40 million euros.
Agerpres