„It’s very hard to attract investments without a proper infrastructure,” Council president Shachar Schaine told a news conference Monday.
He said going a distance of 1,000 kilometers in Romania takes twice as much as in Western European countries.
The Foreign Investors Council has sent authorities several propositions in a bid to improve public procurement legislation in the road infrastructure sector, where Romania could compensate for its national budget constraints by attracting European Union funds and increasing efficiency.
The Council said European practices in public procurement should be of mandatory reference and auction requirements should be adapted to each project’s real needs. The Council also recommends the introduction of multi-annual or long term contracts for infrastructure works.
„Considering the unsatisfactory results of 2009, it is essential the Government attracts a high level of EU funds. Romania is eligible for considerable sums from the EU,” said Markus Wirth, member of the Council’s board of directors and general maker of the Romanian unit of cement maker Holcim.
He said funds assigned this year from the state budget for infrastructure are enough only if used for clear projects that can be completed and if Romania manages to get EU money.
Wirth explained the assignment of EUR380 million to infrastructure works allows the employment of 10,000 or 15,000 workers, and the number of jobs could reach 50,000 if the budget for infrastructure investments were of EUR1 billion.
The Foreign Investors Council was founded in 1997 and currently includes over 110 companies employing around 180,000 people.