EIB Working Papers 2019/08 - Investment: What holds Romanian firms back?

In Romania, the share of firms carrying out investment is amongst the lowest in the European Union. This is despite strong economic growth in recent years and persistent needs for upgrading the capital stock in the country. This paper draws on information from two surveys – the EIB Investment Survey and a survey on access to finance conducted by the National Bank of Romania – to analyse the reasons for this subdued corporate investment activity. It also contributes to the debate on why investment in central, eastern and south eastern Europe has remained relatively subdued after the crisis.



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The European Investment Bank is the world's biggest multilateral lender. The only bank owned by and representing the interests of the EU countries, the EIB finances Europe's economic growth. Over six decades the Bank has backed start-ups like Skype and massive schemes like the Øresund Bridge linking Sweden and Denmark. Headquartered in Luxembourg, the EIB Group includes the European Investment Fund, a specialist financer of small and medium-sized enterprises.