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Caraș-Severin County

The Caraș-Severin County is one of the founding members of the Network of the Three Seas Regions.

Caras-Severin County, known as the Mountainous Banat, is located in the southwest of Romania. It is part of the western region of Romania with the departments of Timis, Arad, and Hunedoara. In the southwest, it is bordered by the Serbian Republic. With a total surface area of 8,520 square km, representing 3.6% of the national territory, Caras-Severin County is the 3rd largest county in Romania. From a geographical point of view, Caras-Severin is an Alpine department, but it also includes zones with valleys, hills, and plains. The administrative organization of Caras-Severin County consists of 8 towns (2  municipalities) and 69 communes. Resita is the county‘s administrative center and the most important city in terms of economy, finance, and culture. 

Caras -Severin County is the oldest industrial center of Romania and one of the oldest in Europe, with a long tradition in steel and machine construction industries. The preserved industrial structures, together with the know-how and expertise, represent a perfect platform for new investments. 

  • The intelligent use and valuing of existing natural and anthropic resources is the basis of the strategic concept for the county development, namely Nature and Entrepreneurship. The county’s sources of competitive advantage are:
  • The existence of natural and anthropic resources that can stimulate the growth of a significant, integrated and diverse tourism sector;
  • The existence of a strong industrial tradition which, even if it has diminished significantly, can support the new relevant economic areas development (through specialized human resources, managerial experience, economic connections, etc.);
  • Geographical positioning in the border area, able to connect the county with international opportunities and resources;
  • Possible association with neighboring urban development poles for the attraction of human, economic, and technological resources;
  • The existence of a relevant university center in the county that can be developed through cooperation with traditional universities;
  • Local identity based on traditions, regional specificity and multicultural diversity;
  • Significant experience and expertise in attracting European funds for development projects at the level of local authorities;

The strategic development directions of Caraș-Severin County are:

  • Regional cooperation, sustainable territorial development, connectivity;
  • Increasing the life quality;
  • Development of the educational system;
  • Developing a diversified and sustainable economy that capitalizes on the traditional industrial base, natural, material and human capital;
  • Administrative capacity building and digital transformation;
  • Promoting a distinct and coherent local identity

In addition, one of the most important areas of intervention is tourism development. Our county is highly attractive as a national and European tourism destination, due to its natural tourism potential. In 2021, Caraș-Severin County won the final of the “Destination of the Year in Romania” national competition.

Caraș‐Severin County has an extraordinary tourist potential given its beautiful mountains and hills with healing therm-mineral waters, natural and artificial lakes, impressive waterfalls, caves and virgin forests, and 4 national parks with unique flora and fauna. In Caraș-Severin county, one can practice forms of tourism developed around the four basic natural components: Banat Mountains, Tarcu Mountains with “Muntele Mic”( “small mountain”), very appreciated by those who practice winter sports, Danube’s gate, Herculane Baths’ therm-mineral waters and the natural and artificial lakes.

The spa resort of Herculane Baths is the oldest spa from Romania and South-East Europe, attested since 153 AD, very well-known for its Roman thermal baths. The historic buildings – especially hotels and health care centers, with high potential and heritage value, make the spa town of Herculane Baths a unique cultural and historical tourist destination.

The cultural component with Caraș-Severin County’s “local specificity” focused mainly on the cultural-industrial, religious, ethnographic and museum sides, could be added to those previously mentioned.

Caras-Severin County Council is the local public authority implementing the regional development policies according to the Romanian and European Union general objectives and priorities for development in the area of economic, social and territorial cohesion. Our institution implements large-scale infrastructure projects, indispensable to economic growth and the quality of life in the areas of transport infrastructure, water and wastewater infrastructure, waste management and tourism infrastructure.

Our institution is also particularly involved in promoting European cooperation and international partnerships development: Caras-Severin is a member of the largest independent network of regions in wider Europe – The Assembly of European Regions (AER); it is part of the DKMT Euroregion ( with members from Serbia, Hungary and Romania). We concluded cooperation agreements with European and non-European local authorities.

Caraș-Severin County implemented numerous Interreg Programs (Cross-Border and Transnational Cooperation) in various areas: tourism, environmental protection, emergencies, sustainable socioeconomic development of the regions, and inter-modal transport.

Caraș-Severin County Council

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