On 1 January 2027, Romania marks 20 years since joining the European Union. The economy has been reshaped, Romanian companies have grown and increasingly competed across Europe, and, day by day, Romanians’ standard of living has moved much closer to the EU average. To mark the occasion, Banca Transilvania is launching a series of ten analyses on Romania’s progress. The series will explore themes such as the economy, investment, entrepreneurship, companies, incomes and living standards — key dimensions of Romania’s transformation — through data, trends and structural shifts, and will be published on the BT Blog/TheMacroZone.

One of the best personal decisions I made was to put my trust in Romania. It’s the country where I have lived and worked over these 20 years and, looking back, I believe Romania has offered extraordinary opportunities to those who had the patience, confidence and courage to invest for the long term. Growth hasn’t been linear, but it has been steady, and the direction has been clear. In the years ahead, my bet remains Romania — but a Romania that can play in a higher economic league: a more sophisticated economy, with more local capital, entrepreneurs building regional companies, and banks capable of supporting that ambition. Of course, there is still much to do. But if we look at where we started and where we stand today, we have reason to trust in what we can build next.

Ömer Tetik
Chief Executive Officer
Banca Transilvania

How much Romania has changed

One of the most telling measures of transformation is economic convergence. At accession, Romania’s GDP per capita, adjusted for purchasing power, stood at roughly 44% of the European Union average. By 2025, this indicator had reached 78%. In two decades, Romania has thus closed more than 30 percentage points of the gap to the European average. The pace of development has not been uniform across periods or regions, and disparities remain. The scale of change also shows in what lies behind the numbers: entrepreneurs who had the courage to invest, companies that developed services and created jobs, people who acquired new skills or learned new trades, communities that seized the opportunities opened up by the European Union. EU membership provided the framework that accelerated many of these transformations: access to a market of hundreds of millions of consumers, common rules, capital and financing for investment and, not least, greater predictability and confidence in Romania and in long-term investment in the country.

Over 72 billion euro: a net positive financial position with the EU

One of the most visible effects of EU membership is access to EU funds. Between 2007 and 2025, Romania received approximately 108.3 billion euro in EU grants and contributed around 35.9 billion euro to the EU budget. This results in a net positive balance of over 72 billion euro. In other words, for every euro Romania contributed to the European Union budget, it received roughly three euro in grants. These resources have supported investment in infrastructure, agriculture, companies and communities, and have helped modernise Romania.

From the local market to the European market

Just as important as EU financing is the shift in perspective brought by access to the single market. For a Romanian company, the difference between building solely for the local market and being able to invest and compete across Europe is significant. Integration has facilitated the entry of companies from Romania into European production and supply chains, access to external clients, and the transfer of technology and know-how.

The numbers show how strong this link has become:

• In 2025, Romania exported goods worth approximately 96.6 billion euro, and more than 71% of exports went to EU member states.
• More than 7 in every 10 euros generated by Romania’s goods exports are linked to the European Union market.
  
  

After 20 years, beyond the question of how much Romania has gained from European integration, there is also the question of how we can turn this convergence into a new stage of development: more Romanian capital, regional companies, higher productivity, higher investment and greater added value. This is the next bet on Romania.