At the Real Estate & Construction Forum – Focus on Industrial & Logistics Panel (BusinessMark), the discussion was less about "how much more is being built" and more about how Romania can become more competitive as a regional hub: infrastructure, Schengen, fiscal predictability, plus a possible new economic cycle that could begin in 2027.
The conversation was moderated by Ionuț Oprea (Publisher – Romania's Real Estate Guides and Market Pulse Reports), who kept it anchored in two simple but essential questions for a wider audience: what truly makes Romania more attractive for industrial and logistics investment, and what genuinely slows it down. In his interventions, he kept returning to the idea of "speed" — not just the speed of trucks on the highway, but the speed of decisions: permits, connected infrastructure, predictable tax rules, and the market's capacity to deliver available space quickly to large companies.
Andrei Jerca (Country Head Romania, GARBE Industrial Real Estate) put the figure on the table: Romania is approaching 8 million sqm of modern industrial and logistics space (Class A), in a market that "truly" started about 22 years ago. His message was one of transition: "I'm hoping for the start of a new economic cycle," expected from next year.
Public market reports confirm the threshold: total stock reached around 8 million sqm in 2025, following deliveries of more than 300,000 sqm in a single year.
Laurențiu Duică (Managing Partner – Industrial & Retail, Global Vision) briefly described the mood in the market: infrastructure "is moving well," with momentum coming partly from EU-backed projects. And Schengen (land borders), although "it went somewhat unnoticed" in everyday public discussion, has been very beneficial for logistics flows.
In trade media, the impact of Schengen on road transport is described in concrete terms: shorter waiting times and better predictability along transit corridors.
The same goes for the A0: the opening of sections of Bucharest's ring motorway is starting to genuinely reshape peri-urban logistics. Olga Melihov (Chief Country Officer, MLP Group Romania) put it directly: "The A0 makes logistics around the capital much simpler." The full opening of the southern half-ring (the final section) was confirmed in 2025.
One of the more technical points, but with a simple meaning, also came from Laurențiu Duică: a vacancy rate of around 10% can, paradoxically, be a good thing. The reason: large companies sometimes need immediate occupancy; if the market is "full," they relocate to another country.
In short: available stock means Romania can respond quickly to demand, without losing projects to other markets in the region.
Adriana Dobre (Partner, Băncilă, Diaconu și Asociații SPRL) said it bluntly: in practice, public authorities are often "a brake on development, not an incentive." The point linked directly to the idea of cutting red tape: if infrastructure advances but permits and procedures remain slow and unpredictable, investments lose time and money.
Lucian Opriș (Head of Special Projects – Industrial & Logistics, Colliers Romania) brought up the inevitable comparison: Poland remains "the regional engine," but "lately we are losing less ground to Poland." His argument: the Polish market, being more mature, leaves room for Romania to become more competitive than it was, and there is still significant room for development — including for possible "accelerated growth."
In Colliers reports, 2025 emerges as a year of record demand, with publicly announced transactions close to 1 million sqm (and, in some estimates, even above that level, depending on the methodology used).
Olga Melihov (Chief Country Officer, MLP Group Romania) tied the next wave of opportunity to the reconstruction of Ukraine, which could drive development in northern Romania. In parallel, the idea of Romania playing the role of a logistics hub for reconstruction is appearing more and more often in public discourse.
The panel also touched on the EU–Mercosur and EU–India trade agreements, with the view that they are beneficial in the medium and long term (especially through their effect on German industry, where Romania is strongly integrated as a producer and supplier).
On the "breaking news" front, there really are updates here:
• On EU–India, the European Commission announced in January 2026 the conclusion of negotiations for a free trade agreement.
• On EU–Mercosur, public developments emerged in February 2026 (ratifications in some Mercosur states and discussions on provisional application), but the European process remains politically and legally sensitive.
In other words: the potential is significant, but full implementation depends on ratifications and institutional steps.
The panel left one clear takeaway: Romania already has the "chassis" for a leap forward (stock close to 8 million sqm, strong demand, infrastructure underway), but the real engine of competitiveness remains speed of execution: permits, stable taxation, available space, connectivity.
And if 2027 really does bring a new economic cycle, as part of the market hopes, the winners will be those who can deliver quickly — without bureaucratic surprises and without overnight tax changes."
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