Ford Otosan Craiova’s President Firat Elhuseyni calls for fiscal stability and long-term vision in Romania

Romania must provide greater fiscal stability, a clear investment roadmap and a long-term industrial vision if it wants to remain competitive for future automotive investments, according to Firat Elhuseyni, President and Site Director of Ford Otosan Craiova.

Speaking at an event organized by ACAROM marking the association’s 30th anniversary, Elhuseyni said the country’s current automotive production levels are the result of strategic decisions made years ago.

“What we produce today — approximately 500,000 vehicles in Romania — is the result of decisions taken over the last five years,” he said.

Elhuseyni pointed to rising energy costs, infrastructure gaps and fiscal changes as key challenges facing the industry, emphasizing the importance of predictability for investors.

“We know the problems we are facing today: energy prices, infrastructure, fiscal changes,” he said. “It is important to have fiscal stability, so we need to work together with the authorities to create a vision.”

He stressed that automotive companies operate in long investment cycles, with strategic decisions typically made years in advance.

“In the automotive industry, this is a very important point because the sector works in cycles,” Elhuseyni said. “At the beginning of each investment cycle, most companies decide what to invest in, where to invest, what the investment plan should be, and which country offers the best conditions.”

According to Elhuseyni, Romania must position itself as a leading destination for future automotive projects and manufacturing investments.

“We must ensure that Romania offers the best conditions for investors, so that investments in future products over the next three to four years are made in Romania,” he said.

The Ford Otosan Craiova executive said stability should be the foundation of a broader national industrial strategy developed jointly by the private sector and the government.

“From my perspective, the first important point is stability,” he said. “Then we need to create a strategy and a vision so that we can sit together at the same table and say: Romania may not be a perfect place, but it is still a country with many good opportunities.”

Elhuseyni also highlighted the strategic importance of the automotive sector for Romania’s economy and warned against spreading resources too thinly.

“Automotive is the largest industry in Romania. It is one of the most important,” he said. “We all know Romania does not have infinite resources. The strategy must be defined together with the government, because you cannot invest in every direction. We need to choose where we want to compete and win.”

He added that closer cooperation between the government and the automotive sector is essential to secure future investments.

“We need to collaborate with the government because automotive is a critical industry and we need a roadmap for investments,” Elhuseyni said.