Page 140 - Proceeding 2015

FAMP CONSTANTIN Daniela-Luminita, GOSCHIN Zizi and ILEANU Bogdan
CCASP THE ECONOMIC REGENERATION OF LAGGING REGIONS. AN INQUIRY INTO THE REGIONAL
OPERATIONAL PROGRAMME CONTRIBUTION, WITH AN EMPHASIS ON THE ENTERPRISE
SUPPORT IN THE NORTH-EAST REGION OF ROMANIA

2013 programme period, so as to reinforce the economic development in the North-East region in the

next years.

2. THE REGIONAL PROBLEM. NEEDS AND STRENGTHS

Suceava county is included in the North-East region, the least developed region in Romania (GDP/capita

is 0.675 if the national average is 1, while in Bucharest-Ilfov it is 2.063). According to the level of GDP per
capita, Suceava county is ranked third in the North-East region, after the counties of Iaşi and Bacau. In

the last five years, the GDP of Suceava county has seen a different evolution of GDP than the North-East
region as a whole. Although in 2007 real GDP growth at the county level was double (10.7%) of the
percentage growth at regional level (5.4%), in 2007, in the context of the economic crisis, GDP dropped

sharply, registering a negative growth (-3.9%), well below the regional average (3.6%). By 2009, the gap
had widened even more: GDP at county level reaching a percentage reduction of 5%, while at the regional

level it was increasing by 9.1% (Table 1).

TABLE 1 - GDP IN SUCEAVA COUNTY COMPARED TO NORTH-EAST REGION
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
North-East region
GDP/capita 3698 4011 3303 3358 3555 4200 4500 4700 PROCEEDINGS OF THE 11 TH ADMINISTRATION AND PUBLIC MANAGEMENT INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ”Strategic Management for Local Communities” 30 th – 31 st October 2015 Bucharest
(euro)
GDP growth 5.4 3.6 9.1 -3.5 1.3 18.4 7.1 4.4
(%)
Suceava county
GDP/capita 3763 3774 3242 3292 3488 3900 4300 …
(euro)
GDP growth 10.7 -3.9 -5 -3.2 1.6 11.8 10.25 …
(%)
Data source: Eurostat database

Economic efficiency of both North-East region and Suceava county, as reflected by labour productivity,
has been constantly situated well below national average. In accordance with this poor labour productivity,

net average earnings per employee in Suceava county represented 92.6 % if the regional average was
100 in 2009, placing the county on second lowest position in the region, while compared to the national
average it was only 82%if the national average was 100. The economy of the county is characterised by

low GDP per capita: for example, in 2012 it represented 95% of the North-East region average, 83% of
Romania and less than 16% of EU28. The growth in GDP per capita was about 16% lower than the
national average over the last 15 years prior to economic crisis (in all cases the average was 100).

Industry is currently recovering from the crisis, recording 20% growth in manufacturing in December 2012

against December 2011 and a 32.2% increase in manufacturing turnover during the same interval. The
population of Suceava county has been constantly diminishing since 1992, due to both negative natural

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