Our colleague, Radu Postolache advocated for the local IT Sector, in a regional environment, at the Economic Diplomacy and Exporters Forum

The third edition of the Economic Diplomacy and Exporters Forum was held at the Carol I Hall of the Bucharest Chamber of Commerce and Industry Palace. This event marked a significant gathering of industry experts, policymakers, and business leaders focused on enhancing Romania's economic diplomacy and export potential. Among the distinguished participants was Radu Postolache, a member of the Board of Directors of ANIS - the Employers' Association of the Software and Services Industry. His participation underscored a vital mission: to sustain the promotion of Romania’s IT sector on the international landscape.

The forum covered a wide range of insightful topics, including Romania's export strategy, support for the internationalization of Romanian economic operators, and the new trade policy of the European Union. Discussions also targeted identifying regions and countries with high export potential for Romania, the effectiveness of the current network of economic advisers and attachés, and the export offerings of Romanian companies. The forum aimed to draw lessons from the successful examples of exporting companies in countries like Germany, Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia, and to explore how the Romanian state could further stimulate and support exporting companies.

In his speech, Radu observed the IT global market slowdown, noticing its impact also on Romanian companies. The consequence is broader regional and global competition in the IT market. However, he pointed out the increased desire for operational efficiency among Western companies which can manifest in more opportunities for the local IT companies. He also spotlighted the potential of riding the wave of the AI revolution, anticipated to significantly influence businesses, digital transformation, and society in the near and long future. Radu advised paying close attention to untapped markets in regions such as Asia, Africa, South America, and the Middle East, indicating these areas as new frontiers for expansion and collaboration. Concluding his speech, he noticed the substantial initiatives undertaken by neighboring EU countries to nurture their IT sectors. These endeavors not only add considerable value but also contribute to balancing the trade deficit, setting a benchmark for how support can catalyze sectoral growth.

Radu's speech also highlighted the successes of Romanian companies like UiPath and Bitdefender, which have achieved global recognition. He shared a recent development involving a large German car manufacturer that, in partnership with a local ANIS partner and member, opened a significant innovation center in Romania that will create over 1000 new job positions. This illustrates Romania's many assets that often surprise international clients and partners.

Radu also pinpointed ANIS's efforts to enhance Romania's IT sector competitiveness, including improving education, ensuring legislative and fiscal stability, and fostering a supportive environment for the start-up ecosystem. However expressed a shared frustration among ANIS members regarding the perceived insufficient efforts to promote Romania's IT sector compared to neighboring countries. He highlighted the surprising and motivating examples of support from countries like Moldova and the Baltic countries. To address this challenge Radu shared a presentation, crafted by the Export and Internationalization TaskForce of ANIS. This document succinctly presents the IT sector's strengths and opportunities to external partners, based on the experiences of ANIS member companies.

Radu’s speech at the forum was not just a call to action but a statement of the collaborative spirit and potential of Romania's IT sector to make a significant impact on the global stage.

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