Romania

Romania is a country located in Southastern Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north, Bulgaria to the south, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest and Moldova to the east. It has access to the Black Sea and it’s the host of the Danube Delta, the second largest river delta in Europe.

The country is divided into 41 counties (judet) and the city of Bucharest. Counties are further subdivided into cities and communes.

Source: World Bank Data

Water and Wastewater Sector Structure

Water and wastewater services in Romania are mostly managed at the regional level, after a decade-long reform that included commercialization and regionalization of the sector. There are still approximately 1,100 providers. However, 47 regional operating companies (ROCs) and two private operators cover almost 90% of the water and wastewater service provision areas.

Three management models are more prominent: delegated public management (ROCs with public capital using public infrastructure), delegated private management (long-term concessions of two municipalities with an international water company) and direct public management (the largest in number, services provided directly by municipalities).

The regionalization has been achieved through a new institutional framework in which municipalities delegated water and wastewater services to newly established ROCs. The municipalities supervise their performance through Intercommunity Development Associations (IDAs) whose members are local authorities in the service area.

Requirements and obligations of private operators in two Romanies cities – the capital Bucharest and Ploiesti – are defined by concession contracts, both of which were signed for a period of 25 years. In 2020, the municipality of Bucharest and private company Veolia signed the extension of the concession contract by 12 years, until 2037.