Abstract. Considering the fact that Romania joining the euro area is a major country project, as was entering the European Union on January 1, 2007, this paper analyzes the way Romania currently meets the convergence criteria, the importance of their sustainability, the level of real convergence and further steps to be taken before adopting the euro. All these issues are meant to secure rigorous economic preparation, in order to reach a certain level of development, that can deal with competitiveness and which can ensure a relatively high level of convergence of income per capita.

Keywords: Convergence criteria, GDP per capita, Regional gross domestic product, Euro area, Romania.