Magnet Cities
Migration and Commuting in Romania
This report was prepared by a core team comprised of Marius Cristea, Codruta Mare, Ciprian Moldovan, Andreea China, Thomas Farole, Adina Vințan, Jane Park, Keith Patrick Garrett, and Marcel Ionescu-Heroiu. The report benefited from thoughtful comments by peer reviewers Mark Roberts, Ionuț Trincă, Mihai Grecu, and Jozsef Benedek.
The team would like to thank Arup Banerji, David Sislen, Elisabetta Capannelli, Paul Kriss, Soraya Goga, and Jean-Francois Marteau for the advice, support, and guidance provided throughout the elaboration of this report. The team would also like to thank the counterparts in DG Regio, for the timely feedback, the support offered in the elaboration of this study, and the excellent collaboration throughout.
Romania is the fastest growing economy in the EU, and Bucharest and Romania’s secondary cities have been its main growth engines. However, while Bucharest has reached productivity levels comparable to those of other EU capitals, secondary cities in Romania still have some ways to go before competing on equal footing with secondary cities in the EU. Without strengthening these secondary cities, the Romanian economy cannot sustain growth in the coming years.
The most competitive secondary cities are those that are most astute at attracting people, investments, and tourists. This report looks at the cities that have been most successful at attracting migrants and commuters, and proposes a number of recommendations aimed at making secondary cities more attractive and competitive. In what follows we will discuss the key findings and proposals of the report.