“The opening of our new office in Cluj-Napoca confirms our commitment to Romania. We have supported hundreds of companies across the country through direct and indirect investment, as well as advisory projects, and we now want to increase our support for businesses in Transylvania,” said Charlotte Ruhe, Managing Director, Central and Southearn Europe at the EBRD.
Situated in the heart of historical Transylvania, Cluj-Napoca is a gateway to three strategic regions of Romania: the north-west (where it is located), the centre and the west. The city has demonstrated its ability to promote high-tech business sectors and is known for its strong information technology (IT) industry and excellent academic sector.
The Cluj-Napoca office will mainly support local small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the region with expert advice, training and access to finance.
Through the EBRD’s Advice for Small Businesses (ASB) programme, funded in Romania by the European Union and the EBRD’s Small Business Impact Fund, the Bank has already provided advisory support to more than 900 Romanian SMEs, including regional business leaders such as Arobs, Ciserom and Unilact.
In Romania, the EBRD focuses on financing sustainable infrastructure, boosting private-sector productivity by helping private companies to expand and improve their workforce skills, and developing the financial sector and capital markets.
To date, the Bank has invested almost €9.7 billion in the country’s economy through 488 projects.
(English version by Catalina Apostoiu)