de Radu Magdin
For much of the past two decades, Romania has been described—accurately, but with growing inadequacy—as one of Central and Eastern Europe’s most competitive manufacturing platforms.
The Incomplete Portrait
For much of the past two decades, Romania has been described—accurately, but with growing inadequacy—as one of Central and Eastern Europe’s most competitive manufacturing platforms. Competitive labour costs, proximity to Western markets, a technically skilled and linguistically versatile workforce, and structural openness to foreign capital turned the country into a key node in European value chains, from automotive and electronics to aerospace components and food processing. It was a success story of integration, discipline, and steady convergence—a model CEE economy doing what the post-accession playbook prescribed: absorbing investment, building capacity, and growing consistently.
