Assessing Romania's Competitiveness: A 2026–2035 Strategic Outlook

Romania is entering a decisive decade. The question is no longer whether Romania has potential, it is whether that potential can be converted into investment, productivity, resilience and long-term competitiveness by 2035. DDD Foundation's first commissioned study provides a decision-grade baseline for that conversation.

The study is commissioned to the Jacques Delors Institute (one of Europe's foremost independent think tanks on EU policy, economic governance and European integration) and led by its President, Enrico Letta, author of the 2024 high-level report Much More Than a Market, now a central reference for Europe's competitiveness agenda. It is produced with HorizonX, a European foresight and strategic-modelling firm responsible for the scenario work. The foundation commissions and funds; the Institute leads the research.

The work combines two distinct methodologies (rigorous institutional analysis and strategic foresight) into a single integrated framework. Most competitiveness assessments tell you where a country stands; this one also tells you where it is going, under which conditions, and what choices can change the outcome. It proceeds in three analytical stages: a 2026 baseline benchmarked across EU and CEE peers; the drivers shaping Romania's trajectory to 2035; and three forward-looking scenarios (baseline, optimistic and pessimistic) with policy recommendations stress-tested across each.

The diagnosis is organised around six workstreams: the macroeconomic and budgetary position; financial markets and the business environment; innovation, digitalisation and AI adoption; education and human capital; infrastructure, energy and sustainability; and the key economic sectors and value chains where Romania can build durable advantage. Together they form an integrated competitiveness diagnosis.

The project generates three publications (a comprehensive report, a focused policy paper for decision-makers in Romania and at EU level, and a public-facing infographic) alongside three policy moments: a Bucharest final event with Enrico Letta as keynote speaker, a Brussels round table on the European dimension, and a Euroquestions webinar opening the findings to journalists, NGOs and citizens.

The work is independent and evidence-based, produced under the foundation's editorial-independence framework. The full report and its underlying datasets are public. The Bucharest launch is scheduled for 24 November 2026, followed by a Brussels round table on 8 December 2026.