Increased defence spending across Europe could create new opportunities for Romania's real estate sector, according to Voichita Lefter, secretary general of the Association of Real Estate Investors in Romania (AREI). Speaking to Real Asset Media's Richard Betts at Mipim 2026, Lefter said Romania remained an attractive destination for international capital, with opportunities across logistics, industrial, residential and retail real estate. "Our first aim here as a country pavilion is actually to tell our story to the international arena," Lefter said. "We want international investors to approach Romania." She said the country wanted to showcase opportunities to investors and highlight the track record of both domestic and international companies already active in the market. "Retail is picking up again very well, so I think there are a lot of opportunities that need to be approached, but somebody has to know us," she said. Lefter said Romania's presence alongside government representatives gave investors an opportunity to better understand the country's regulatory environment and public-private partnership opportunities. "The Romanian state is also interested more and more in public-private partnerships, which are also a route to take, especially in the real estate industry, where a lot of infrastructure can be done together with investors," she said. Lefter said Romania still had significant untapped potential. "Romania still has opportunities. A lot of land is out there. The government is willing to discuss opportunities, is willing to take part into these new business arenas," she said. She also pointed to opportunities linked to increased European defence spending. "We have also a lot of money coming from the European defence systems right now — with wars that are happening in the region — and I think we can also build on the defence industry some new streams of revenue for the real estate industry," she said. She added that investors should consider the opportunities available in a country located on the border with Ukraine. "I think we should look with all the lenses, with all the proper lenses, to the opportunities that Romania has, being on the border of Ukraine," she said. Lefter said investors should also look beyond Romania's largest cities. "Cluj, Bucharest, Timișoara, Iași are already filled up with a lot of developments, but I think there are also other secondary cities that are building up their presence," she said. She added local partners in these cities increasingly understood the benefits that investment could bring to communities and economic development. " [They understand] what investors can bring to the community, and how the communities can benefit from this investment, and what they can do together," she said. www.realFDI.com www.realassetinsight.com
