Dan Șucu claims that Romania emerged from the 2009–2011 crisis with the help of the “First Home” program

Dan Șucu, president of the Concordia Employers’ Confederation, says that relaunching the Prima Casă program could support Romania’s real estate market and economy, at a time when families’ purchasing power and companies’ activity are being affected. He made the statement on Monday at the Palace of Parliament, during the Romania Affordable Housing Summit.

Șucu compared the current economic climate with the 2009–2011 period and recalled that the Prima Casă program helped Romania emerge from the crisis at that time. He said the measure is being closely watched by both clients and companies.

The Concordia leader stressed that access to decent, affordable housing affects cities’ competitiveness. In his view, European funding must be aligned with a national strategy that includes predictable permitting, infrastructure, the mobilization of private capital, and cooperation among authorities, financiers, and developers.

Concordia represents 20 federations and approximately 500,000 employees, contributing, according to Șucu, 30% to Romania’s GDP. Data presented at the summit show that 40.7% of Romanians lived in overcrowded households in 2024, compared with 16.9% in the European Union. Approximately 94% owned the homes they lived in, while one-quarter of Romania’s homes were unoccupied at the 2021 census.