Competitiveness as Part of the Development Strategy for the Romanian-German Business Environment in 2025

This is why AHK Romania, together with its member companies, has chosen the concept “People. Skills. Competitiveness” as the guiding motto for their activities throughout 2025.

“With our annual theme for 2025, People. Skills. Competitiveness, we emphasize the central role of employees in a company’s success, as their skills are the cornerstone for strong, competitive, and innovative companies,” said Sebastian Metz, General Manager of AHK Romania, during the opening of the New Year’s Reception.

Present at the event both as President of the Senate and as “a supporter of the strong economic and cultural relations between Romania and Germany,” Ilie Bolojan highlighted that German investments in Romania are a key component of the country’s economic development. “Germany is our main trade partner and one of the largest foreign investors in our country,” said Bolojan.

The Senate President stressed the need to continue collaboration in other fields, such as education, research, and digitalization, to better integrate young people into the labor market. He also promised government and parliamentary support for dual education projects, following the successful model initiated by the Romanian-German Chamber of Commerce. “Romania has demonstrated in recent years that it can make rapid strides toward modernization when there is a clear vision and effective administration. Whether we’re talking about infrastructure, education, or economic development, success comes where well-thought-out decisions are made and implemented without delays. This is the working model we must extend nationally: focusing on concrete solutions, eliminating bureaucratic obstacles, and creating an environment where investments thrive,” concluded Ilie Bolojan.

The idea of change was further echoed by the Minister of Education, Prof. Daniel David, who emphasized the need to build a future workforce on solid foundations. He invited the private sector to partner with the ministry in reforming the educational system, both at the university and pre-university levels, especially in dual education: “Our children need to be exposed to the best specialists, whom they can meet through the internship opportunities you provide. We have opened universities to include company requirements and needs in master’s and postgraduate programs to develop the human resources you need. In dual education, the mutual responsibility is even greater: together, we design the curricula, conduct evaluations, and take responsibility for the results we deliver to the market,” David explained.

Competitiveness is also a key asset for the Romanian state, according to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Tánczos Barna. “Just as people in companies need to be efficient, so must those working in the public sector,” Tánczos noted, adding that the state is obligated to provide quality services and reduce its expenses. The Minister of Finance mentioned that the budget recently approved by Parliament is “a leaner state budget, with expenditure cuts to streamline operations, a budget for investments with a record allocation of over 150 billion lei, and a budget for support programs for companies.” He added that for a high-performing economy, it is essential to involve the active population more in production, a priority the government will address moving forward.

The event also included representatives from the Ministry of Labor, Family, Youth, and Social Solidarity, as well as the Ministry of Economy, Digitalization, Entrepreneurship, and Tourism. Ministers Simona Bucura-Oprescu and Bogdan Ivan conveyed messages from their respective ministries to the Romanian-German business community.

The theme of competitiveness as a foundation for increasing economic efficiency and overcoming current challenges resonates across all fields, from food to energy. Andreas Lier, President of AHK Romania, stated, “We aim to leverage the potential of the entire energy sector, especially renewable energy, to enhance efficiency. We will also focus on developing value chains in the food sector. At the same time, challenges such as high labor costs, fiscal predictability, and the trade deficit remain in the spotlight because we believe a competitive economy needs a modern administration.”

In turn, the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany, Dr. Peer Gebauer, emphasized the importance of the partnership between Romania and Germany and the strong collaboration between the two countries, particularly in the energy sector and the expansion of energy infrastructure. To enable these changes, competent people are needed: “2025 will be a year of transformations. We embrace this motto; we need people and their skills, which will become increasingly diverse in the future. We need innovation and the willingness to take risks,” the ambassador said.

Organized annually at the Palace of Parliament, the AHK Romania New Year’s Reception is a landmark event for the Romanian-German business community in our country. It brings together numerous guests from the business world, public administration, professional associations, civil society, as well as from the political, diplomatic, academic, and media sectors.