On September 10th, at the 10th edition of the AmCham CEO Business Forum, the annual event dedicated to public-private dialogue on strategic economic topics for Romania, business leaders in the AmCham community welcomed the President of Romania, Nicușor Dan, as a special guest.  

Opening the event, AmCham Romania President Vlad Boeriu, reiterated AmCham’s call for an honest and transparent partnership between the business environment and public institutions and urged the President of Romania to embark on such an objective from the beginning of his mandate. On this occasion, he also shared with the President of Romania the main initiatives through which AmCham seeks to contribute to growing economic relations with the United States. AmCham stands ready to collaborate with the Romanian Presidency on all actions aimed at strengthening Romania’s Strategic Partnership with the United States. 

On behalf of the U.S. Embassy in Bucharest, Charge d’Affaires Michael Dickerson outlined the importance of the bilateral cooperation in a message for the AmCham CEO Business Forum participants.  

Addressing Romania’s current economic situation and challenges, AmCham President, Vlad Boeriu, stated: “Romania is facing a fiscal and budgetary crisis that must be addressed through bold structural reforms to prevent it from escalating into a full-blown economic crisis and triggering a recessionary spiral. Our message is straightforward: measures to tackle the budgetary crisis must not deter investments; on the contrary, they must uphold the confidence of corporate and institutional investors, as well as rating agencies, in Romania’s economy and its ability to recover. While responding to immediate challenges, Romania must remain committed to its major national projects. From AmCham’s perspective, the country should prioritize three key areas: deepening its integration into the organizations of developed democracies and economies, advancing reforms of major public systems and the public administration, and building a coherent, competitive, and credible national value proposition,” he added. 

President Nicușor Dan thanked the AmCham members for their presence in Romania through investments that have brought growth, prosperity, and transfer of know-how, essential for the development of Romania in the last 30 years. Regarding the topics and concerns raised on behalf of AmCham members, the President of Romania assured the business community that ensuring stability is the top priority and that there is complete alignment between the President, the Government, and the Parliament. 

Concluding the event, President Nicușor Dan pointed out the main messages conveyed at the AmCham CEO Business Forum: “It was important for me to be here today and meet with representatives of American investors in Romania. I reaffirmed that the partnership with the United States remains essential for Romania, and together we must strengthen its economic dimension. I conveyed a message of stability — everything undertaken over the past two months has served this purpose and has achieved it: Romania is more stable than it was and will remain stable in the eyes of investors and financial markets. I also expressed optimism about completing OECD accession by the end of 2026, which would pave the way for new investments in Romania, and I conveyed my openness to collaborate on reforms, as Romania needs initiative and private sector know-how to advance its reform agenda.” 

The priorities and areas requiring vision and action, which AmCham brought to the attention of the President of Romania from the perspective of strengthening Romania’s competitiveness as an investment destination, included: 

• Sustaining Romania’s accession process to the OECD by 2026, by meeting the technical criteria, aligning economic and fiscal policies with this goal, and supporting these efforts through diplomatic initiatives. In parallel, including the local capital market in the Morgan Stanley Composite (MSCI) index would increase Romania’s visibility and eligibility for large-scale investments. 
• Firmly tackling corruption and tax evasion, while accelerating the digitalization of the tax administration to improve monitoring and reporting tools, thereby reducing the need to rely solely on tax and duty increases to boost budget revenues and address the deficit. 
•  Prioritizing an investment-friendly fiscal policy by removing taxes that hinder Romania’s ability to attract capital, such as the minimum turnover tax, while maintaining the flat tax rate. 
• Strengthening Romania’s voice and role within the EU, particularly in the context of joint programs to enhance defense capabilities, by focusing resources on clear and strategic priorities, such as cybersecurity. 
• Encouraging high-value-added strategic investments by clarifying the legislative framework for review and approval, ensuring national security is protected without discouraging investment. 
• Reforming education and developing concrete tools for a coordinated response to social divides and the growing polarization of public opinion, which has reached a concerning level, including on economic issues. 
• Comprehensive administrative-territorial reform as a foundation for essential reforms in critical sectors of society and the economy, including healthcare and education. 

AmCham Romania members appreciated the insights and perspectives shared by the President, the invitation to submit analyses and proposals on the issues discussed, and his openness to continue the dialogue.