The German ABB official said that in the 15 years since he has been in Romania, he has not seen a single highway completed, no new major energy plants, and no new hospitals. ABB is one of the largest global power and automation technology providers.

“Agriculture and the field of gas and oil production have a great potential in Romania and should be better exploited,” Simon added. The Country Manager also indicated that Romania, compared to other countries in the region, was less prepared for the crisis, especially since many businesspeople did not take the necessary measures.

“We will reach the peak of this crisis at the end of 2009. The big question is: how long will we stay there? I expect the first clear signs of recovery will appear in 2011,” Simon added. According to him, the global economy will return to its 2007-2008 level in about ten years from now.

In terms of Romania’s level of development, Simon said that good signs come from various fields. “This year, we have new clients from the following fields: wind energy, biomass, and industrial robots. (…) These orders and the use of industrial robots are important for Romania’s image, because their use contributes to raising the quality of products,” he added. “If this segment continues to grow, in the future, Romania will not be seen just as a country with cheap workforce, but as a state that manufactures products of superior quality,” the representative of the Swiss-Swedish group indicated.