INVESTOR`S GUIDE GORJ COUNTY 2008 COLECTIVUL DE LUCRU CARE A PARTICIPAT LA ELABORAREA GHIDULUI INVESTITORULUI THE INVESTOR’S GUIDE PROJECT TEAM COORDONATOR PROIECT PROJECT COORDINATOR Ion CĂLINOIU Preşedinte CONSILIUL JUDEŢEAN GORJ President of GORJ COUNTY COUNCIL Claudia-Ileana POPESCU Director executiv – Direcţia Cooperare şi Dezvoltare Regională Executive director – Cooperation and Regional Development Directorate MEMBRII ECHIPEI DE PROIECT THE PROJECT TEAM MEMBERS Florinel ACHIM Şef seviciu – Serviciul Cooperare, Dezvoltare Regională şi Relaţii Externe Head of Department – Cooperation, Regional Development and External Relations Department Tiberiu Laurenţiu GRIVEI Consilier – Direcţia Cooperare şi Dezvoltare Regională Counsellor – Cooperation and Regional Development Directorate Marina IVANOV Consilier – Direcţia Cooperare şi Dezvoltare Regională Counsellor – Cooperation and Regional Development Directorate Alina PĂTRAŞCU Consilier – Direcţia Cooperare şi Dezvoltare Regională Counsellor – Cooperation and Regional Development Directorate Flavia RAUS Consilier – Direcţia Cooperare şi Dezvoltare Regională Counsellor – Cooperation and Regional Development Directorate CONSULTANT DE SPECIALITATE/SPECIALTY CONSULTANT – Sabin CORNOIU TRADUCEREA/ TRANSLATION – Laura BORICEAN 2 ACRONIME ACRONYMS RO EN BIM Biroul International al Muncii ILO International Labour Office EUROSTAT – Institutul de Statistică al EUROSTAT – The Statistical Office Uniunii Europene of the European Union PATN – Planul de Amenajare The Spatial Plan for Territorial a Teritoriului National) Management AJOFM – Agentia Judeteana County Employment Agency pentru Ocuparea Fortei de Munca RICOP – Programul de Restructurare Industrial Restructuring and Industriala si Reconversie Profesionala Reconversion Programme MARR – Fondul de Reconstrucţie Mining Affected Regions a Regiunilor Miniere Reconstruction Fund POR – Program Operational ROP – Regional Operational Regional Programme ONRC – Oficiul National al Registrului NTRO – National Trade Register Comertului Office UATB – Unitati administrativ teritoriale BTAU – Basic territorial- de baza administrative units UAT – Unitati administrativ teritoriale TAU – Territorial-administrative units CNSIS – Consiliul National al Cercetarii The National Council of Scientific Stiintifice din Ivatamantul Superior Research CCS – Consiliul Cercetarii Stiintifice The Council of Scientific Research ARACIS – Agentia Romana de Romanian Agency for Quality Asigurare a Calitatii in Invatamantul Assurance in Higher Education 3 Superior ENQA – Asociatia Europeana pentru European Association for Quality Asigurarea Calitatii in Invatamantul Assurance in Higher Education Superior IDU – Indicele Dezvoltării Umane HDI – Human Development Index INS – Institutul Naţional de Statistică NIS- National Institute of Statistics 4 FOREWORD Romania’s accession to the European Union and the opening of gates for our country, and implicitly Gorj County, towards a European market, a competitive market, in a permanent movement and development, created the premises for Gorj County Council to take initiatives in order to develop the business environment and to stimulate the innovation. The priority of Gorj County Council is the social-economic development of the county, and the attraction of investors, both native and foreign, interested in the potential and opportunities that Gorj County has to offer is a very important instrument in attaining this purpose. To meet the expectations of investors that wish to bring financial capital and new technologies in the county, Gorj County Council elaborated the Investor’s Guide, document that puts together different useful information that could serve as orientation for the possible investors that wish to contribute to the development of Gorj County. According to the study “Southeast Europe Attractiveness Survey 2007”, carried out by the company Ernst & Young, our country was leading in the top of attractiveness in 2007, being designated the most attractive destination for investment in the Southeast, Central and West Europe, ahead of Poland and the Czech Republic, with 58% of the international companies willing to invest in Romania in 2007. The increased potential of the work productivity, the relatively low workforce cost and level of the profit tax, but also the flexibility of the labour legislation, the total openness of the local and county public administration, the availability of the locations for investment, as well as the natural resources and the touristic potential of Gorj County will attract foreign investors in the county. The contemporary market economy is very complex and diversified, based on multiple, divergent interests of the economic agents. Therefore, the scientific grounding of a socio-economic development strategy for Gorj County proved to be opportune in the context of the development of an European market. The socio-economic analysis of Gorj County identified five priority fields in the socio-economic development of the county: the agriculture, the infrastructure, the environment and natural resources, the human resources and the business environment and the social environment. 5 The Investor’s Guide harmonizes with the strategy, both aiming at the socio-economic development of Gorj County. Starting with a general description of Romania, followed by the presentation of South-West Oltenia Region, region in which Gorj County is integrated, the guide offers the investors general information about the county (short history, geographical and administrative data, natural resources), as well as specific information regarding the economy of the county, the agriculture, the infrastructure, services and least, but not last, the tourism. Thus, the investor will have the possibility to have a general view on the county, being able, in the same time, to identify the areas where they could invest. At the same time, we mention that the information and estimations displayed in this guide reflect the latest available data at the time of the conception of this guide, being subject to possible further alterations. By elaborating the Investor’s Guide we have the certainty that we will attract many investors in our county, increasing the interest for this area that has many things to unfold. ION CĂLINOIU PRESIDENT, GORJ COUNTY COUNCIL 6 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. ROMANIA .................................................................................................................. 10 1.1. Geographical Data ................................................................................................................................... 11 1.2. History ............................................................................................................................................................ 13 1.3. State organization ................................................................................................................................... 16 2. THE SOUTH-WEST OLTENIA REGION ............................................................. 17 2.1. Location, Physical Profile .................................................................................................................... 17 2.2. Population .................................................................................................................................................... 19 2.3. Economy ........................................................................................................................................................ 24 2.4. The Labour Market .................................................................................................................................. 31 3. GORJ COUNTY GENERAL VIEW ......................................................................... 37 3.1 Short history and territorial-administrative organization ................................................ 37 3.2. Geographical Position, Physical Profile, Climate .................................................................. 41 3.2.1. Climate ................................................................................................................................................ 43 3.2.2. Hydrology ........................................................................................................................................... 43 3.2.3. Vegetation ......................................................................................................................................... 44 3.2.4. Soils ..................................................................................................................................................... 45 3.3. Natural resources .................................................................................................................................... 46 3.4. Population .................................................................................................................................................. 48 3.5. Administration ........................................................................................................................................... 54 4. THE ECONOMY OF GORJ COUNTY .................................................................... 58 4.1 General Information ................................................................................................................................ 58 4.2. The Industry and the Energy Sector ...........................................................................................