After his graduation in 2006 as an economist, Sebastian Metz gathers a wide international experience, being active in France, Algeria and Nepal. After successfully leading the department for SMEs, Export promotion and Trade Fairs of the German-Algerian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (AHK Algeria), he left to Nepal, where he got the function of GIZ/CIM consultant for Export and SME promotion at the German-Nepal Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NGCCI).

Starting with January 2012, Sebastian Metz continues his international carrier taking over the position as General Manager & Board Member of the German-Romanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (AHK Romania). In this position, he is responsible for the strategic development of the service and activity portfolio provided by AHK Romania and monitors its implementation. Top priorities are the advisory services for private and public customers, the continuous support for the AHK member community as well as the increasing advocacy activities in order to represent the German business interest in Romania.

AHK Romania, the largest bilateral Chamber of Commerce in the country, celebrates this year two decades since its establishment. What is the role of AHK Romania in the local business landscape and what are, in your opinion, the main targets achieved in these 20 years?

For the German-Romanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (AHK Romania), 2022 is a special year. We celebrate 20 years of successfully acting as a German Chamber of Commerce located Abroad (AHK), being the central engine for the development of bilateral economic relations. In these 20 years, many things happened, both for us and for Romania – the country has evolved from a simple production site to a location for innovation, thus remaining attractive to the German companies.

More and more German companies have invested lately in the establishment of new development centers – often in good and close collaboration with Romanian universities – thus contributing to Romania’s development and competitiveness as an investment location. And we are proud to be the driving force behind this development. But it’s not just about university education. AHK Romania has been and is a central partner of the Romanian Ministry of Education. It has made a significant contribution to the introduction of the dual vocational training system in 2012 and continues to support its development. We need well-trained professionals in Romania – at all levels of education and in all regions of Romania. And it is very important for Romania to continue these efforts in order to maintain its competitiveness at regional and European level.

Our role, as a bilateral Chamber of Commerce, is to actively support the German companies in entering the Romanian market, as well as the Romanian companies interested in the German market, through the services we offer and the events we organize, thus contributing to the development of Romanian-German economic relations. Hence, we reached a volume of the bilateral trade of over EUR 35 billion – accounting for more than 20% of the foreign trade of Romania. Within our specialized initiatives, we focus on topical issues that are interesting for the Romanian-German economic relations and for the AHK community, including the GreenTech branch (renewable energy, energy efficiency, environment, urban development), vocational education, arbitration and procurement management (Supply Chain Management “Near-Shoring”).

As part of our activities aimed to represent German companies’ interests in Romania, we support specifically the establishment of economic framework-conditions favorable to the business community. In this respect, over the years, we always enjoyed a reliable and constructive cooperation with the ministries and regional/local authorities in Romania. We would like to thank all AHK partners on this occasion.

I would also like to mention that, after 20 years of activity in Romania, we decided to get closer to the Republic of Moldova, with the aim to strengthen the trilateral relations between the companies in Romania, Republic of Moldova and Germany.

How many members does AHK Romania have and what are the main services you currently offer?

AHK Romania is the official representation of the German economy and represents the largest bilateral business community in Romania. Along with the German Chambers of Commerce and Industry (IHK), AHK Romania is part of the global network of bilateral German Chambers of Commerce, gathered under the umbrella of the Union of German Chambers of Commerce and Industry (DIHK). We are also supported by the Federal Ministry of Economy to promote the foreign trade of Germany. The German-Romanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, established in 2002, currently has over 550 member companies and offers them an important platform for networking, information exchange and know-how.

AHK Romania team is the central partner for the German companies, which we advise professionally, competently and objectively. But also for the Romanian companies that want to enter the German market, we are a reliable, experienced partner. Whether a company wants to expand into new markets, find suppliers, open a new production plant or simply grow its business, we meet its needs and together we design and implement the right strategy. Through the publications and events we organize, we regularly provide updated information about Romania and Germany respectively, and we create a strong community. Especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) use our services, but large holdings are also among our satisfied customers. By offering counseling talks and consulting services, but also by recommending competent partners, we support the companies in various problems or situations that they encounter.

We notice more and more interest and potential in the Romanian companies to become active in foreign markets and we can only enjoy this trend. And we provide the necessary support for exchange of experience and information useful for developing a profitable business.

Germany is one of the main foreign investors and the largest trade partner of our country. What are the foundations of this successful collaboration and how do you see the development of bilateral relations this year?

Since 2006, Germany has been Romania’s most important trade partner. Being No. 1 for such a long time does mean something. The value added by the German companies in Romania has increased significantly over time. This clearly results also from the change in the trade structure. While clothing and textiles still played an important role in Romania’s exports to Germany in 2007, this product group has become less and less important since 2017, instead more goods from the tech product groups are exported. But this can be seen most clearly when we look at the structure of German companies and their business. More and more German companies set up research and development centers in Romania.

Romania as a market has also registered a very positive evolution. Growing available revenues, investments in the enlargement of public infrastructure, also with support from European funds, as well as increasing investments in the equipment and technology parks of the national companies make Romania an attractive market for the German companies. If we look at the dynamics of bilateral trade and the positive feeling related to German companies’ business in Romania, we expect the bilateral trade to exceed considerably by the end of 2022 the level of past year, when imports and exports from and to Germany amounted to 35 billion EUR.

In addition, we expect the German companies to continue to invest heavily in Romania, including market entry of new companies. Our latest business survey clearly showed this trend. The signs indicate an increase in both trade with Germany and German investment in Romania, but it depends a lot on the existing framework-conditions for these things to happen – I am referring here, in particular, to skilled labor, transport and energy infrastructure, an efficient administrative system and absorption of EU funds, to name just a few.

For AHK Romania, the anniversary year 2022 is under the sign of sustainability. Why did you choose this topic and what are the main projects on the Chamber’s agenda for the next period?

Sustainability means investments in education, research and development, in the quality of life in the cities and regions in which we live. Sustainability also requires sustainable economic systems that are accepted and supported by the society.

Sustainability is an issue of central importance to the economy. In principle, it is about transforming a hitherto predominantly linear economic system into a circular system. This is a huge effort for the economy, which means significant investments over a long period of time. We live now at the expense of future generations, and these costs are not or are only partially included in our current prices. This process of transformation will require a lot of effort from us. And this has become even more difficult due to the current geopolitical situation. We, as AHK Romania, want to bring this topic to the center of political and economic talks, initiate dialogues, find solutions and create new partnerships. It is clear to everyone that this cannot be completed in one year, but it is also clear that we need to do more in this respect and we want to make everyone involved even more aware this year. Now is the time to invest the EU funds made available, in combination with private sector funds, in sustainable projects.

Interview by Ioan Dornescu

Share

Share