Strabag Group - Austria, one of the most important construction contractors from the world and the local market leader through its subsidiary entitled Strabag Romania, is involved in the execution of major projects in our country, such as the building that will shelter the world's largest LASER equipment, the Salvation Cathedral, the highway Comarnic - Braşov and the railway section Vinţu de Jos - Simeria. The company is active on the national level ever since 1991, although the office from Bucharest was opened in 1992. Currently, the group has branches in all major regions of Romania, running operations in all segments of the construction market, but especially in the infrastructure sectors and those that involve the execution of buildings and civil engineering. For several years, Strabag Romania was involved in projects carried out through public-private partnership (PPP) and the development of railway works. In 2013, the subsidiary from our country reported a turnover of 322 million EUR, representing 2% out of the total revenues of the group. At the group level, Strabag made a turnover of 13.6 billion EUR during last year, recording a slight decline (-3%) compared to the previous financial reference period. Established in 1835 in Austria, the company has grown from a small firm to one of the leading construction and technologies groups in the world, with currently over 73,000 employees. "We are a local firm in Romania and as one of the largest employers in the construction sector, with approximately 1,500 employees and a portfolio of works with a value of 308 million EUR at the end of 2013", said Thomas Birtel, the CEO of Strabag SE. The recession from the 2008-2013 period affected the company's work during recent years, given that the crisis has affected deeply the construction sector, especially in Europe, after the implementation of austerity budgets by the governments from the continent, as well as due to lower private investments levels. "The forecast for the next period are mixed. Depending on each country, we estimate either stagnation or slight increases on the construction markets where we are active. Anyway, the business environment remains challenging for us, but even in these conditions we managed to achieve a turnover of 13.6 billion EUR in 2013", said Thomas Birtel.