Newsletters
Makyol Construction, one of Türkiye’s leading contractors, has emerged as Romania’s largest foreign construction company, managing a portfolio exceeding €3 billion ($3.46 billion) through seven major projects across the country, the company's chief executive officer (CEO) said.
At a press conference in Bucharest, Makyol Construction Romania CEO Saffet Oguz Cebi said the company takes pride in showcasing Turkish engineering "in the heart of Europe." He emphasized that the projects represent not only physical infrastructure but also "the discipline, reliability, and problem-solving capacity of Turkish engineers," contributing to Romania’s integration into the E.U.’s transport systems.
Cebi highlighted the long-standing relations between Türkiye and Romania, noting that Turkish contractors have undertaken 231 projects in the country, worth a combined $15.2 billion. As of 2024, bilateral trade between the two nations stood at $12 billion, comprising $8 billion in Turkish exports and $4 billion in imports, while total Turkish investments in Romania are estimated at $8 billion.
Recalling the company’s entry into Romania in 2019, Cebi said Makyol had initially partnered with a Chinese firm for a €1.5 billion public-private partnership highway project. "When the government changed and the E.U. began tightening its stance toward Chinese companies, our contract was canceled," he said. "It seemed like a loss then, but it became an advantage. Today, Chinese contractors are excluded from public tenders, and our experience positioned us to grow stronger. We are now the leading foreign company in Romania’s construction sector."
Cebi added that Makyol plans to pursue new tenders in the Balkans and Central Europe, building on its expanding regional experience.
Discussing projects such as the Transylvania and Sibiu-Fagaras motorways — which cross mountainous terrain through tunnels and viaducts — Cebi said the company’s approach focuses on sustainability and long-term resilience. "Beyond roads, we are building bridges to the future," he said.
Founded in 1965 by Saffet Cebi, Makyol has previously undertaken large-scale infrastructure projects in Morocco, Algeria, Kazakhstan, Iraq, Azerbaijan, Kuwait, Oman, and Ukraine.
Romania has now become the company’s strongest overseas market, where Makyol operates as a main contractor on key sections of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) — a series of corridors that link Eastern and Western Europe under the European Union’s infrastructure program. The projects are carried out in partnership with Romania’s National Road Infrastructure Administration (CNAIR) and the Transport Ministry.
The company was also listed among the world’s top 250 construction firms by Engineering News-Record (ENR) magazine, ranking 30th among 45 Turkish companies included and 177th globally.
2 min read
1 min read
