This article presents the advantages and risks of the public-private partnership in realizing the public investments in Romania. Public-private partnerships refer to the forms of cooperation between public authorities and private entities and target the regulation of the design, financing, construction, operation, rehabilitation, development, rental and transfer of any public work, asset or public service. It is a formula agreed by the public authorities by which the solving of public problems of general interest is “commissioned† by attracting entrepreneurs from the private sector.

One of the main arguments for supporting the public-private partnerships in case of public investment projects is the transfer of the managerial competencies and of the know-how from the private partner to the public one.

One of the main risks of the public-private partnerships is related to the temptation of using the private-public partnerships as a means of eluding the budgetary pressure, which may lead to their inadequate use.