t33 strengthens its presence in Romania with a new Branch Office in Bucharest

Written By Nicola Brignani
Publishing 04 March 2025

In February 2025, t33 established a branch office in Bucharest to enhance its capacity to support national, regional, and local authorities involved in the management of EU funds, with a particular focus on cohesion policy.

Romania has been a strategic market for t33 over the past decade. Between 2013 and 2025, the company executed 30 contracts for key institutions, including national ministries, regional development agencies and EU institutions developing policies in the member state under a shared management framework.  Through evaluation, technical assistance, and capacity-building services, t33 has worked across multiple European Structural and Investment Funds – ERDF, CF, ESF, EAFRD, and EMFF – strengthening its ability to analyse and interpret these funds in an integrated manner.

Several evaluations have addressed specific thematic areas, such as environmental and social infrastructure, administrative capacity building, tourism development, urban growth poles, and SME competitiveness. Leveraging its expertise in enterprise support and innovation, t33 has also provided technical assistance for the development of a regional smart specialisation strategy.

t33 experts were also appointed by the European Commission - DG REGIO to provide support in preparation for the ex-ante assessment of financial instruments for enterprise support in Romanian ERDF national and regional programmes.

At the outset of the 2021–2027 programming period, t33 contributed to the preparation of ERDF regional programmes, offering specialised support on key aspects such as indicator setting, the application of Simplified Cost Options (SCO), and the design of integrated territorial strategies.

Furthermore, under a European Investment Bank (EIB) framework contract, t33 conducted an analysis of the use of financial instruments within the ERDF in Romania, with a thematic focus on energy efficiency support in the regions, as well as urban development and local infrastructure in the South Muntenia region. t33 also conducted a market analysis on the financing gap faced by higher education students in the country. Currently, t33 is delivering advisory support through the EIB on the development of the new Romanian Investment Development Bank.

Until 2020, t33 operated in the Romanian market as a specialized partner within a Romanian company-led consortium, mobilising a team of eight senior experts with extensive expertise in EU fund mechanisms and thematic areas. Over the past five years, t33 has progressively expanded its local expertise and now relies on a dedicated team of four Romanian experts (Cristina Neacşu, Rebeca Nistor, Roxana Diaconu, Tiberiu Nitu) who have worked in close collaboration with t33’s core team for over a decade.

The integration of these two teams, combined with the establishment of the Bucharest branch office, positions t33 as a key player in the Romanian market. The company provides specialised services in evaluation, technical assistance, capacity building, and data management, all aimed at enhancing EU fund management across national, regional, and local levels.