Structural Changes Produced in the Romanian Manufacturing Industry in the Last Two Decades

The article deals with the structural changes induced, in the period 1990-2011, in the structure of the Romanian economy and the manufacturing industry, highlighting the positive and adverse effects of these developments on the industrial sectors. The analysis was deepened in relation to some relevant criteria for assessing industrial sectors – technological level, skill level of the labor force, growth rate, energy efficiency - allowing, finally, to draw conclusions on the quality of the structural changes produced: their low amplitude relative to requirements; poor exploiting competitive advantages presented by some sectors; the beneficial effects of integration into the European Union.