Romania needs some 25-30 years to attain the EU's average development level, something that is feasible only if productivity reaches the European level, the former Romanian Prime Minister Theodor Stolojan said on Thursday, cited by people.com.cn.

„The post-accession period will be finalized in some 25-30 years, when Romania reaches the average development level of the European Union, but this is feasible only if productivity grows fast,” Stolojan said during a seminar of productivity and competitiveness in Romania. Romania's productivity, related to GDP per capita, is 35-36% of the EU level and 42.7% for employees alone, he added. „Romania cannot attain a high productivity level if it maintains the economic sectors that were an obstacle for the competitiveness and productivity during the transition period,” said Stolojan.
The former premier also stressed that Romania's productivity is affected by an education system unrelated to real economic needs, by the lack of massive investment in technology and by some insufficiently developed sectors that cause drops in productivity, such as infrastructure and agriculture. „The bureaucracy in the Public Administration causes high expenses to companies. If we do not win the battle for the productivity, the post-accession will last longer and we will not reduce the gaps between us and the European Union,” he said.
According to the provisions in the National Development Plan, Romania should attain a productivity level of 55% of the EU average by 2015 with an annual scheduled growth of 5.5%.