| Summary: | Public-private partnerships are one of the most debated issues at EU-27 level nowadays. The experience of the past
two decades has shown that this European Union initiative has delivered results below expectations despite the
opportunities for improved absorption of European funds based on setting up such partnerships. In our paper we argue
that by investigating main definitions and institutional-regulatory frameworks, public-private partnerships could turn
into a key tool for promoting and supporting sustainable development at both national and rural level (that is, at the
level of the regions of development) by interacting and best suited to sustain the activities of start-ups and innovative
SMEs. Romania’s experience is still at its very beginnings, but the current economic, social and political climate is an
argument for considering how public-private-partnerships and entrepreneurship might be interlinked for generating
economic growth, and creating platforms even for encouraging social entrepreneurs who, due to their ‘not-for-profit’
objectives are more flexible in applying new perspectives and innovations faced with new opportunities, thus gaining
experiences transferable to changing and improving the ‘for profit’ sector and contributing to improved perceptions
about public-private partnerships, not as an objective per se, but as operational tool in ensuring economic growth,
social development and increased sustainability and resilience.
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