Mar 13, 2026
Azomureș Announces Intention to Mothball Factory, Notifies Unions of Restructuring and Starts Consultation Process
Azomureș, Romania’s largest fertilizer production platform and a key element of the country’s national agricultural supply chain, announced on 11 March 2026 that it has officially notified unions of a plan for collective dismissals and the mothballing of the platform's facilities. The consultation phase with unions as part of the procedure has now begun.
This step is a result of the continued absence of a clear, executable path forward for the platform, brought on by prolonged uncertainty regarding long-term natural gas access and the lack of a binding decision framework regarding a previously signalled acquisition process by state-owned company Romgaz.
Under Romanian labor law and applicable consultation requirements, the initiation of this process means that there is now an estimated window of approximately 45 days before irreversible workforce reductions begin.
Azomures already took the step in January to put over 600 employees on technical unemployment and suspend agreements with contractors that represent over 1500 indirect people who work on the site. This further step to initiate a plan for collective dismissals begins with a consultation period to explore options and mitigate social impact. This also defines a final practical timeline to reach a reliable solution that preserves the platform as a restart-ready industrial asset.
Josh Zacharias, Azomures CEO and Ameropa’s Group CEO said: “We remain willing to engage constructively with Romanian authorities and Romgaz on any reliable framework that preserves domestic fertilizer capacity, protects Romanian agriculture from import dependency and price volatility, and aligns Romania’s gas resources with value-added industry.”
Ameropa has been in ongoing discussions with state-owned Romgaz for over a year about their possible acquisition of Azomures. During this period, Ameropa has incurred more than EUR 70 million to keep the plant operationally ready.
CEO Zacharias said: “Azomureș has sustained significant costs to keep this strategic platform operationally ready for as long as possible. Initiating restructuring consultations was not a decision taken lightly, but it has become unavoidable in the absence of a clear decision path”.
Azomureș remains available to engage immediately on any credible solution.
About Azomureș
Azomureș is Romania’s largest fertilizer producer, supplying a substantial share of domestic agricultural demand when at full production. The platform spans approximately 100 hectares in Târgu Mureș and produces a broad portfolio of nitrogen-based fertilizers and industrial products. Approximately 2,500 people, direct employees and contractors, work on the platform.
