Construction in Romania to last decades

The president of the Romanian Chamber of Industry and Commerce predicts that over the next two decades construction will be a major driver in the country's economy. Speaking exclusively to CE, Radu Merica said, "For the next 20 years we need to reconstruct most of this country.

"Over the coming 10 to 15 years, 10% of Romania's gross domestic product (GDP) will be attributable to construction," he said.

Speaking following the opening of Meva formwork's new Romanian headquarters, Mr Merica told CE, "Construction in Romania has cooled down this year, but we begin 2010 with solid investment for Government projects and a great future.

"Over the past year or so we had a couple of civil projects and some unreliable investors that damaged the reputation of construction in Romania, so the slow-down is perhaps not such a bad thing," he said.

"The main problem now is the capacity to manage projects, which is an issue related to the performance of our Government. We feel the pressure and we're working hard to increase the absorption rate of EU funding," he said.