Romanian companies show a higher level of optimism than the EU average when asked about access to finance – domestic and external – and are concerned about issues related to energy costs, climate change and the green transition, the Chairman said on Tuesday of the National Bank of Romania, Mugur Iserescu, at the “Transformation for Competitiveness” conference, organized by the BNR and the European Investment Bank.

The event is part of a series of EIB investment conferences and is held annually in Romania to discuss some topics related to investments and their financing, respectively, the competitiveness of Romanian companies in the context of the transition to a green economy and increasing energy costs.

The NBR also conducts its own periodic surveys in which it asks companies about the problems they face. In the last such survey, about 64% of companies reported a worsening economic situation

in total over the last six months, and 49% pointed to the deterioration of the economic situation in the industry in which the company operates.

At the same time, the perception of 38% of Romanian companies regarding the economic and financial situation of the company has worsened. As in previous editions of the survey, the majority of companies (81%) believe that the relationship with financial institutions has remained the same, while about 14% believe that it has worsened.

The results of the survey indicate a lower ability of SMEs to adapt to changes and recover from shocks compared to large companies. By industry, companies in the industry are the most likely to report a deterioration in the national economic situation over the past six months (67% vs. 64% overall), while construction and real estate companies are at the opposite pole (62%).

According to the BNR survey, agricultural companies are most likely to believe that the economic situation in the industry has worsened (63% versus 49% overall), followed by commercial companies (52%).

“The findings of the EIB survey are a welcome addition to the surveys conducted by the National Bank of Ukraine. Among the problems cited by Romanian companies are financing costs, the effects of a possible appreciation or depreciation of the national currency and the impact of climate change. Taking into account the growing concern about climate change and the impact of mitigation policies on the banking sector, the National Bank of Romania launched a survey in 2021 that captures the main events on climate change and green finance,” Iserescu said on Tuesday.