regiuni

Regiuni is the Romanian word for regions, referring to geographic or administrative areas that are defined for purposes such as governance, statistics, planning, or cultural identity. Regions can be based on geography, history, economy, language, or culture, and they may function as formal administrative units or as informal groupings used for analysis and cooperation.

In Romania, the term is used for both historic-cultural regions and official administrative-groupings known as regiuni de dezvoltare (development regions). The eight development regions—Nord-Est, Nord-Vest, Centrul, Sud-Est, Sud-Muntenia, Sud-Vest Oltenia, Vest, and București-Ilfov—were established in 1998 to coordinate regional development and manage European Union funds. These regions do not have separate legislative powers; governance remains centralized and exercised through counties (județe) and national authorities. The regiuni de dezvoltare serve as planning and statistical units and as eligibility areas for EU structural funds.

Beyond Romania, regiuni as a concept appears in many countries as equivalent to “regions,” with varying degrees of autonomy and different legal statuses. Some regions correspond to historic provinces, while others are purely administrative divisions created for governance or statistical purposes. In practice, the precise boundaries and powers of a region depend on national law, and the term can denote both cultural identity and administrative organization.