Botoșani County Council EURONEST founding member

Three border crossings and the region’s lowest labour cost

Botoșani County

The county with the region’s lowest labour cost and an apparel cluster with French and Italian investors present for many years. Three border crossings — two towards the Republic of Moldova and one towards Ukraine — give it a relevant position for Eastern European flows.

**Valeriu Iftime**President of the County Council

COUNTY COUNCIL WEBSITE → VERSIUNEA ÎN ROMÂNĂ →

392,821inhabitants · 2021 census

4,986 km²area

3border crossing points

+17.3%export growth in the first quarter of 2026

Territory

The county at a glance

Area4,986 km², with a density of about 79 inhabitants per km²

Administrative structure2 municipalities (Botoșani, Dorohoi), 5 towns (Darabani, Săveni, Ștefănești, Flămânzi, Bucecea), 71 communes — 78 administrative units

Locationin the far north of Romania, with a border on the Prut towards the Republic of Moldova and one crossing point towards Ukraine

Population by residence452,919 persons as of 1 January 2026

Economy

Economic profile

Services account for 55% of gross value added, industry for 20.6% and agriculture for 10%, although the latter employs a quarter of the workforce. Textile manufacturing dominates exports and the list of largest employers: it is a production cluster serving Western European clients, functional and proven over time.

Gross domestic productRON 15.1 billion (2023), 1.0% of national GDP; EUR 7,594 per capita, 45.1% of the national average

Active companies6,637 active companies (2023), 25.6% more than in 2019; 92.4% are micro-enterprises

Foreign tradeexports of EUR 304.0 million in 2023, of which about 70% textiles. In the first quarter of 2026 exports rose by 17.3% and the trade balance showed a surplus of EUR 9.1 million. Industrial output grew by 11.7% in the first four months of the year.

Largest employersFormens (apparel, French capital), Doly-Com (meat), Conted, Pandoras Courier, Cornell’s Floor, Carreman (textiles), Elsaco Electronic, Freefashion, Electro-Alfa International. The county has 38 companies with more than 100 employees.

Regional comparison

The county within the North-East Region

Gross domestic product per capita, in euro, 2023. Source: the county profiles of the National Commission for Strategy and Prognosis.

Resident population, 2021 census.

Infrastructure

Connectivity and access

The border with the Republic of Moldovatwo crossing points: Rădăuți-Prut — Lipcani and Stânca–Costești, the latter over the dam built in 1978 under a joint Romanian-Moldovan arrangement.

The border with Ukrainethe Racovăț — Diakivti crossing, reopened in February 2023 as a permanent point for pedestrians and vehicles; a second crossing, at Darabani, is under negotiation.

The Suceava–Botoșani expresswaythe final route was approved in February 2025: 19.87 km, two lanes per direction, 15 bridges. It would connect the county to the A7 motorway. It is at feasibility study stage.

DN29D Botoșani–Ștefăneștimodernisation over 42.7 km, RON 260.9 million, with 85% financing from the European Regional Development Fund.

Air access„Ștefan cel Mare” Airport at Suceava is about 35 km from the city of Botoșani.

The case

Why invest here

The lowest labour cost

An average net wage of RON 4,174 in April 2026, 29% below the national average.

A proven apparel cluster

French and Italian investors present for many years, with about 70% of exports in textiles.

Three border crossings

Two points towards the Republic of Moldova and one towards Ukraine, relevant for Eastern European logistics.

An accelerating economy

Industrial output up 11.7% and exports up 17.3% in 2026, with a trade surplus.

The first regional industrial park

The county development company was set up in May 2026 for precisely this purpose.

Maximum regional state aid

The county falls in the category with the highest regional aid intensity in Romania.

Opportunities

Where you can invest now

The first regional industrial park

Botoșani County Development Company was set up in May 2026 by the County Council together with Dorohoi, Bucecea, Darabani, Ștefănești and Săveni, with the declared aim of building the county’s first regional industrial park.

The Bucecea brownfield site

The former sugar factory is the long-discussed candidate for an industrial platform.

Cross-border logistics

A position on three border crossings, at a time when flows towards the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine are steadily gaining strategic weight.

Workforce

Education and the labour market

Botoșani hosts an extension of „Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University of Iași, while the Senate of „Ștefan cel Mare” University of Suceava approved, in March 2025, the establishment of its own extension. The average net wage was RON 4,174 in April 2026, 29% below the national average of RON 5,843, and the registered unemployment rate was 3.64% in June 2026. The county has 61,606 employees.

Heritage

Tourism and culture

The Ipotești Memorial, dedicated to Mihai Eminescu, with the memorial house, the Eminovici family church and the National Poetry Library, is the county’s cultural landmark. Liveni holds the house where George Enescu was born; the county is also the birthplace of Nicolae Iorga and Ștefan Luchian. Lake Stânca–Costești is a bird reserve.

Quality of life

Why live here

Botoșani is a quiet county, with living costs among the lowest in Romania and an unrivalled literary heritage: Eminescu, Iorga, Enescu and Luchian were all born within a few kilometres of one another.

Healthcare

The „Mavromati” County Hospital is receiving a new paediatrics building of about RON 320 million and 260 beds, while a new hospital is being built at Săveni. The maternity hospital was modernised and made energy-efficient in 2026, through an investment of RON 28.68 million.

Education

„A.T. Laurian” National College, one of the oldest in Moldavia, a network of technical high schools and an extension of „Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University of Iași; the University of Suceava has also approved an extension in Botoșani.

Culture

The Ipotești Memorial, dedicated to Mihai Eminescu, with the memorial house, the Eminovici family church and the National Poetry Library; the house where George Enescu was born, at Liveni; the „Mihai Eminescu” Theatre and the County Museum.

Leisure

Lake Stânca–Costești, a bird reserve and the largest body of water on the Prut, the forests in the north of the county, the monasteries around Dorohoi and the traditional fairs.

Cost of living

The region’s most affordable housing prices, about 35 kilometres from Suceava International Airport.

Public investment

Major County Council projects

DJ 282 — „The Customs Road”

48.8 km up to the Rădăuți-Prut border crossing: RON 339.7 million, of which RON 256 million from European funds through the North-East Regional Programme 2021–2027. Works began in May 2026.

Two new hospital buildings

paediatrics at Mavromati Hospital in Botoșani (about RON 320 million, 260 beds) and a new hospital at Săveni (about RON 80 million)

Botoșani Maternity Hospital

modernisation and energy efficiency works completed in July 2026: RON 28.68 million, of which RON 23.68 million through the national recovery plan

The county’s recovery plan programme

466 public projects and EUR 224.1 million, covering all 78 administrative units

Looking for details on investing in this county?

The County Council is the first point of contact for investors. EURONEST can facilitate the connection and support the preparation of projects of common interest across the six counties.

OPEN THE COUNTY COUNCIL WEBSITE →

Profile prepared by the EURONEST Intercommunity Development Association. Figures state the year and the source wherever these are published. Economic data come mainly from the county profiles of the National Commission for Strategy and Prognosis, and demographic data from the 2021 population and housing census.