Abstract

The study comprises a series of analyses of the Romanian foreign trade competitiveness over the period 1991 - 2001. The analyses regard sectors, countries and markets. The Revealed Comparative Advantage index (RCA) was used in order to point out existing comparative advantages by sector. High and permanent comparative disadvantages were found in mineral products sector accompanied by generally moderate and continuous disadvantages in some chemistry-based sectors. Constantly high and medium comparative advantages were found in the low value added, labor and material and energy-intensive sectors. Also, constantly high and medium comparative disadvantages were found in technology and high skill-intensive sectors. Furthermore, comparative advantages/disadvantages computations in relation to the EU countries and some of the countries candidates for the accession to the European Union are included.

Key words: foreign trade, comparative advantage

JEL Classification: F14, F16