Romania

Romania’s economy withstood significant adverse shocks in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the ensuing energy crisis. Tackling high inflation is the immediate task for macroeconomic policy. Fiscal consolidation would complement restrictive monetary policy in keeping demand at sustainable levels. Greater tax revenues are needed to stabilise the public debt burden while funding priority spending – including on critical infrastructure, pensions, health care and the education system. Productivity growth is a powerful engine for lifting living standards but sustaining it will require a sound investment climate backed by strong competition, predictable policymaking, financial inclusion and effective controls against corruption. Romania’s Recovery and Resilience Plan is helping drive reform. More policy focus is needed on addressing disparate socio-economic outcomes within Romania and to lift employment among groups underrepresented in formal work, including women. Faster progress is also required to decarbonise the economy by 2050. Romania needs more renewable power and big energy savings to reduce fossil fuel use. Energy-efficient buildings, better transport systems and consistent price signals for abatement are also needed. Efficient and fair policies can limit costs from the net-zero transition, shield affected communities from hardship, and prepare people for changing climates.

SPECIAL FEATURE : DECARBONISING ROMANIA'S ECONOMY

Romania’s education system is at a turning point. In 2023, the government passed a new law on school education that sets out significant changes to how schooling is provided, governed and resourced. These changes come at a critical time for the country’s development. While Romania is one of Europe’s fastest-growing economies, its education outcomes remain among the lowest in the European Union. The measures in the new law are crucial for ensuring quality education, fostering economic growth and enhancing inclusivity.

This policy perspective offers recommendations on how to take forward planned reforms. It focuses on four specific sets of policies that will be instrumental in improving school quality and equity: school evaluation and support; resources for education; the teaching profession; and the data and monitoring system. At the centre of these are proposals to make teaching a highly skilled and rewarding profession by better connecting performance, promotion and pay, and progressively strengthening schools’ pedagogical leadership through developmental school evaluations and support. At a strategic level, Romania will need a step change in how education policies are funded and evaluated. This implies more strategic planning and budgeting to align resources with long-term policy priorities, and much-expanded analytical capacities to monitor and evaluate implementation and outcomes and hold institutions accountable.

Policy coherence relies on the development of strategic plans, the availability and use of relevant evidence and data, the right set of skills across the public administration, political commitment, and leadership. Effective policy coherence cannot be achieved without good co-ordination, which relies on sound co-ordination mechanisms, such as interministerial committees or councils, as well as information-sharing tools. The legitimacy and coherence of public policy is also grounded in the support that a government has from stakeholders and citizens. This policy paper offers a tailored policy framework for Romania that builds further on the other outputs of the TSI project “Enhancing Policy Coherence, Transparency, and Co-ordination at the Centre of Government in Romania”. It includes tailored and actionable tools for improving policy coherence across government by strengthening policy development, co-ordination, and stakeholder participation.

This policy paper analyses the institutional mechanisms in place and under preparation in Romania to steer and co-ordinate policy development and action priorities relating to climate change. It also reviews the risks and opportunities for the newly created co-ordination mechanisms within the centre of government in this policy area, looks at how the co-ordination mechanisms for greening of the economy align with existing governance frameworks in terms of mandate, and discusses lessons learned from the framework for sustainable development. Drawing upon extensive consultations and peer input from OECD countries, this policy paper offers tailored recommendations for enhancing green governance in Romania.

This dataset comprises statistics pertaining to pensions indicators.It includes indicators such as occupational pension funds’asset as a % of GDP, personal pension funds’ asset as a % of GDP, DC pension plans’assets as a % of total assets. Pension fund and plan types are classified according to the OECD classification. Three dimensions cover this classification: pension plan type, definition type and contract type.

This dataset includes pension funds statistics with OECD classifications by type of pension plans and by type of pension funds. All types of plans are included (occupational and personal, mandatory and voluntary). The OECD classification considers both funded and book reserved pension plans that are workplace-based (occupational pension plans) or accessed directly in retail markets (personal pension plans). Both mandatory and voluntary arrangements are included. The data includes plans where benefits are paid by a private sector entity (classified as private pension plans by the OECD) as well as those paid by a funded public sector entity. Data are presented in various measures depending on the variable: millions of national currency, millions of USD, thousands or unit.

Acest profil oferă o imagine de ansamblu concisă și axată pe politici a stării de sănătate și a sistemului de sănătate din România, ca parte a seriei mai ample de profiluri de sănătate de țară din cadrul inițiativei "Starea de sănătate în UE". Acesta prezintă o analiză succintă care cuprinde următoarele aspecte-cheie: starea actuală a sănătății în România; factorii determinanți ai sănătății, cu accent pe factorii de risc comportamentali; organizarea sistemului de sănătate din România; și o evaluare a eficacității, accesibilității și rezilienței sistemului de sănătate. În plus, ediția 2023 prezintă o secțiune tematică privind starea sănătății mintale și a serviciilor asociate în România.

Acest profil reprezintă efortul de colaborare al OCDE și al Observatorului European pentru Sisteme și Politici de Sănătate, realizat în cooperare cu Comisia Europeană.

This profile provides a concise and policy-focused overview of the state of health and the healthcare system in Romania, as a part of the broader series of Country Health Profiles from the State of Health in the EU initiative. It presents a succinct analysis encompassing the following key aspects: the current health status in Romania; the determinants of health, focusing on behavioural risk factors; the organisation of the Romanian healthcare system; and an evaluation of the health system's effectiveness, accessibility, and resilience. Moreover, the 2023 edition presents a thematic section on the state of mental health and associated services in Romania.

This profile is the collaborative effort of the OECD and the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, carried out in cooperation with the European Commission.

Regional development is rooted in place-based strategic planning and strengthened regional innovation systems. In Romania, the eight Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) are responsible for strategic planning for regional development and delivering innovation support services to regional and local actors. They also manage the public investment funds dedicated to these activities. These are challenging tasks. Many RDAs face difficulties in ensuring that regional and sub-regional development objectives and priorities align, expanding the definition of innovation, and activating their regional innovation ecosystem. Equally difficult is keeping stakeholders engaged and committed to the regional development and innovation agendas. This report synthesises the regional development and innovation challenges facing Romania’s RDAs and potential activities to overcome these in three areas – strategic planning and performance measurement, finance and implementation, and communication and stakeholder engagement. It also offers insights and recommendations for higher-levels bodies to further support RDAs through guidance, facilitating peer-exchange, and actively engaging the RDAs in regional development decision making.

The Civic Space Review of Romania provides an in-depth analysis of national legal frameworks, policies, institutions, and practices relevant to civic space protection. It reviews strengths and areas for improvement, and providing guidance on a wide range of issues. The Review assesses four key dimensions of civic space: civic freedoms, media freedoms and online civic space, the enabling environment for civil society organisations, and citizen participation in policy and decision making. The findings and recommendations offer a blueprint for a more transparent, responsive, participatory, and accountable governance in Romania that informs and engages citizens and empowers stakeholders to achieve shared objectives together.

Governments operate in an increasingly volatile environment, marked by disruptive crises and cross-cutting policy challenges. This context has highlighted the importance centres of government (CoG) in setting up effective co-ordination systems, capable of developing and implementing coherent, whole-of-government responses to immediate threats, while steering the country towards a sustainable and resilient future. This policy paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the current legal, organisational and policy framework and practices in Romania as they relate to policy co-ordination, within the CoG and between the CoG and ministries. It also provides recommendations for consolidating the General Secretariat of the Government’s capacity and role in policy development and co-ordination, to improve the coherence of government action and, ultimately, achieve government priorities and commitments.