Database

Browse Database

ROMANIA

Since March 2002

Pillar Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs)  |  Indicator Adoption of the WIPO Copyright Treaty
WIPO Copyright Treaty
Romania and the European Union have adopted the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Copyright Treaty. Romania ratified the Treaty on 1 February 2001, with its provisions coming into force on 6 March 2002. Subsequently, the European Union ratified the Treaty on 14 December 2009, and it entered into effect on 14 March 2010.
Coverage Horizontal

ROMANIA

Since May 2002

Pillar Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs)  |  Indicator Adoption of the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty
WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty
Romania and the European Union have adopted the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Performances and Phonograms Treaty. Romania ratified the Treaty on 1 February 2001, with its provisions coming into force on 20 May 2002. Subsequently, the European Union ratified the Treaty on 14 December 2009, and it entered into effect on 14 March 2010.
Coverage Horizontal

ROMANIA

Since June 2016
Since January 1991
Since April 2019

Pillar Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs)  |  Indicator Effective protection covering trade secrets
Directive (EU) 2016/943 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 8 June 2016 on the protection of undisclosed know-how and business information (trade secrets)

Law No. 11/1991 (Fighting Against Unfair Competition) (Legea nr. 11/1991 privind combaterea concurenţei neloiale)

Government Emergency Ordinance No. 25/2019 (Ordonanță de urgență nr. 25 din 18 aprilie 2019)
Trade secrets are protected in Romania, especially by Law No. 11/1991 on combating unfair competition. In April 2019, Romania adopted Government Emergency Ordinance No. 25, which protects undisclosed know-how and business information (trade secrets) against unlawful acquisition, use, and disclosure in compliance with Directive (EU) 2016/943.
The law defines and protects trade secrets by reference to Law No. 11/1991 and information that is not generally known or easily accessible, which is valuable because it is secret and its owner has taken reasonable measures to ensure its secrecy. Protection covers its divulgation, acquisition and use without the owner's consent. Exceptions are specifically provided in certain cases and under clear conditions for:
- Exercising the right to freedom of expression;
- Revealing misconduct, wrongdoing or illegal activity;
- Disclosure by workers to their representatives as part of the legitimate exercise by those representatives of their functions.
Coverage Horizontal

ROMANIA

Since May 2014

Pillar Telecom infrastructure & competition  |  Indicator Passive infrastructure sharing obligation
Directive 2014/61/EU on measures to reduce the cost of deploying high-speed electronic communications networks
It is reported that passive sharing is mandated in Romania, and it is practised in the mobile and fixed sectors based on commercial agreements. In addition, Art. 3.2 of the Directive 2014/61/EU establishes that Member States shall ensure that, upon written request of an undertaking providing or authorised to provide public communications networks, any network operator must meet all reasonable requests for access to its physical infrastructure under fair and reasonable terms and conditions, including price, with a view to deploying elements of high-speed electronic communications networks. Such written request shall specify the elements of the project for which the access is requested, including a specific time frame.
Coverage Telecommunications sector

ROMANIA

N/A

Pillar Telecom infrastructure & competition  |  Indicator Functional/accounting separation for operators with significant market power
Lack of mandatory functional separation for dominant network operators
It is reported that Romania does not mandate functional separation for operators with significant market power (SMP) in the telecom market. However, accounting separation is required by law.
Coverage Telecommunications sector

ROMANIA

N/A

Pillar Telecom infrastructure & competition  |  Indicator Presence of an independent telecom authority
Presence of independent telecom authority
It is reported that the Autoritatea Naţională pentru Administrare şi Reglementare în Comunicaţii (ANCR), the executive authority for the supervision and administration of services in the telecommunications sector, is independent from the government in the decision-making process.
Coverage Telecommunications sector

ROMANIA

Since June 2009, as amended in May 2015

Pillar Cross-border data policies  |  Indicator Ban to transfer and local processing requirement
Emergency Ordinance No. 77 of 24 June 2009 regarding the Organisation and Exploitation of Games of Chance (Ordonanţa de urgenţă a Guvernului No. 77/2009 privind organizarea şi exploatarea jocurilor de noroc)
According to Art. 15 of Emergency Ordinance No. 77, in order to conduct remote gambling activities, the gaming server is required to have a registration system capable of identifying the gamers as well as a system which stores and transmits data to a backup server which is situated on Romanian territory. The gaming server has to be approved by the National Gambling Office (Oficiul National pentru Jocuri de Noroc, ONJN) and in compliance with the procedure established under the implementing rules of the Emergency Ordinance. In addition, the game server and the backup server must store all data, including the registration and identification of players, the stakes placed and the winnings paid out, for a period of five years after the prescription deadline in relation to the repayment of public debts related to this data.
In addition, Art. 15 provides that the communications equipment, other than one of the suppliers of electronic communication services and networks defined in the Government Emergency Ordinance No. 111/2011, must record the geographical location of the IP addresses as well as identify the date, time and the duration of a game session once they have registered as a participant in a game on the organiser's website. The data must be stored for a period of a minimum of five years from the date of collection and processing. Moreover, such equipment, as well as the central location at which the organiser's central ICT system, is to be installed on Romanian territory or the territory of another EU Member State or another State party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area or in the Swiss Confederation.
Coverage Gambling sector

ROMANIA

Since May 2016, as amended in March 2021

Pillar Public procurement of ICT goods and online services  |  Indicator Exclusion from public procurement
Law No. 98 of 2016 on Public Procurement Act (Lege No. 98 din 19 mai 2016 privind achiziţiile publice)
The definition of the “economic operator” in Art. 3 (1) of the Public Procurement Act has been amended and provides five specific categories of bidders who are allowed to submit an offer in a public procurement procedure in Romania, namely those which are established in (i) an EU Member State; (ii) a Member State of the European Economic Area (EEA); (iii) third countries which have ratified the World Trade Organisation Agreement on Government Procurement, to the extent that the awarded public procurement contract falls under the scope of Annexes 1, 2, 4 and 5, 6 and 7 to the European Union’s Appendix I to the respective Agreement; (iv) third countries which are in the process of joining the European Union, or in (v) third countries not covered by point (iii), but which are signatories to other international agreements by which the European Union is obliged to grant free market access in the field of public procurement.
Additionally, under recent amendments to the public procurement legislation introduced by Government Emergency Ordinance No. 25/2021, contracting authorities may exclude from tenders any natural or legal person from non-EU countries or from states that have not concluded commercial or pre-accession agreements with the European Union.
Coverage Horizontal

ROMANIA

Since March 2004, last amended in February 2014
Since May 2016, last amended in April 2023

Pillar Public procurement of ICT goods and online services  |  Indicator Other limitations on foreign participation in public procurement
Utilities Directive (2014/25/EU)

Law No. 99/2016 on Sectoral Procurement (Lege No. 99/2016 privind achiziţiile sectoriale)
Art. 85 of the Utilities Directive (2014/25/EU) contains provisions allowing contracting public entities to reject foreign goods not covered by any EU international commitments from its tender procedures. In these cases, a tender submitted for the award of a supply contract may be rejected where the proportion of the products originating in third countries exceeds 50% of the total value of the products constituting the tender (Art. 85.2). Additionally, in cases of equivalent offers, the provisions provide for a preference for European tenders and tenders covered by EU's international obligations. In practice, this possibility has rarely been used.
In Romania, the Directive has been transposed with the Law No. 99/2016 on sectoral procurement.
Coverage Any product sold to a utility provider including software used in telecommunication network equipment

ROMANIA

Reported in 2021, last reported in 2023

Pillar Public procurement of ICT goods and online services  |  Indicator Other limitations on foreign participation in public procurement
Lack of transparency in public procurement
It is reported that issues of transparency, competition, and efficiency persist in Romania's procurement processes, particularly affecting foreign bidders. Concerns include overly narrow definitions of tenders and implicit biases favouring local vendors and state-owned enterprises.
Coverage Horizontal

ROMANIA

Reported in 2022, last reported in 2023

Pillar Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in sectors relevant to digital trade  |  Indicator Maximum foreign equity share
Open environment for foreign investment
Romanian laws and regulations ensure equal treatment for foreign investors, and there are no restrictions on foreign ownership in commercial enterprises.
Coverage Horizontal

ROMANIA

Since April 2022, last amended in November 2023

Pillar Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in sectors relevant to digital trade  |  Indicator Screening of investment and acquisitions
Law No. 164/2023 for the Approval of the Government Emergency Ordinance No. 46/2022 on Implementing the Measures of the Regulation (EU) 2019/452 for the Establishment of a Framework for FDI Screening in the EU, and on Amending the Competition Law No. 21/1996 (Lege pentru aprobarea Ordonanței de urgență a Guvernului nr. 46/2022 privind măsurile de punere în aplicare a Regulamentului (UE) 2019/452 al Parlamentului European și al Consiliului din 19 martie 2019 de stabilire a unui cadru pentru examinarea investițiilor străine directe în Uniune, precum și pentru modificarea și completarea Legii concurenței nr. 21/1996)
In Romania, Regulation 2019/452 is transposed by Law No. 164/2023 for the Approval of the Government Emergency Ordinance No. 46/2022. According to the law, FDI projects in designated areas of the economy whose value exceeds the EUR 2 million (approx. 2 million USD) threshold, or those that have an impact on national security or public order or present risks to them, are subject to the Government’s authorisation. The regime applies to investors from non-EU countries or to EU investors that non-EU persons directly or indirectly control. The sectors of the economy in which FDI is subject to the Government’s authorisation include the security of Romanian citizens and the community, critical infrastructure, information systems and communications systems.
The law has undergone several amendments in recent years, with the most recent changes introduced through Emergency Ordinance No. 108/2023 in November 2023. These amendments expand the scope of the FDI screening regime to include below-control investments where an investor gains "effective participation in the management" of the target. Additionally, a new filing fee of EUR 10,000 (approx. 10,000 USD) has been instituted for the screening process.
Coverage Horizontal

ROMANIA

Since September 2012
Since April 1996

Pillar Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in sectors relevant to digital trade  |  Indicator Screening of investment and acquisitions
Supreme Council of National Defence Decision No. 73 (Hotărârea Consiliului Suprem de Apărare a Țării nr. 73)

Law No. 21 of April 10, 1996 on Competition (Legea concurenţei nr. 21 din 10 aprilie 1996)
In accordance with Art. 2 of Decision No. 73 of the Supreme Council for National Defence, operations involving the acquisition of control over certain companies or assets, as well as economic concentration transactions established by law, are subject to analysis as provided in Art. 46 of Law No. 21/1996. This analysis also applies to economic concentration operations that could pose a threat to national security. According to Art. 3 of Decision No. 73, mergers potentially impacting national security require notification to the Supreme Council for National Defence. These notifications are specifically relevant to the following areas: a) Security of citizens and communities; f) Security of critical infrastructures; and g) Security of information and communication systems (Art. 2). According to Art. 4 of the Decision, the assessment of national security risks is carried out primarily by the national security system's structures and state authorities with direct responsibilities in the specified areas, following the provision of all necessary information and documents.
Coverage Horizontal

ROMANIA

Since November 1992

Pillar Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs)  |  Indicator Participation in the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT)
Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT)
Romania is a party to the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT).
Coverage Horizontal

ROMANIA

Since May 2001
Since March 1996, last amended in April 2022

Pillar Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs)  |  Indicator Copyright law with clear exceptions
Directive 2001/29/EC

Law No. 8 of March 1996, on Copyright and Neighboring Rights (Legea nr. 8 din 14 martie 1996 privind dreptul de autor și drepturile conexe)
There is no general principle for the use of copyright-protected material comparable to the fair use/fair dealing principles. Directive 2001/29/EC defines an optional but exhaustive set of limitations from the author´s exclusive rights under the control of the “three-step test” in line with the Berne Convention that establishes three cumulative conditions to the limitations and exceptions of a copyright holder’s rights. Romania has transposed the Directive through several amendments of Law No. 8 of March 1996 on Copyright and Neighboring Rights, including the Government Emergency Order amending Law No. 8/1996 on copyright and related rights, Law No. 15/2019 amending Law No. 8/1996 on copyright and related rights, among others.
Coverage Horizontal

Report issue     Report new measure