In January 2024p, the balance-of-payments current account posted a deficit of EUR 1,358 million, compared with EUR 760 million in January 2023. The breakdown shows that the deficit on trade in goods declined by EUR 229 million, the surplus on services fell by EUR 351 million, the primary income deficit stood at EUR 376 million against a EUR 27 million surplus in the same year-ago period, while the secondary income surplus decreased by EUR 72 million. Non-residents’ direct investmente in Romania totalled EUR 583 million (compared with EUR 596 million in January 2023), of which equity (including the estimated net reinvestment of earnings) and intercompany lending recorded net values of EUR 697 million and EUR -114 million, respectively. In January 2024, total external debt increased by EUR 4,314 million to EUR 173,126 million, of which: long-term external debt at end-January 2024 ran at EUR 125,244 million (72.3 percent of total external debt), up 3.4 percent against end-2023; short-term external debt at end-January 2024 amounted to EUR 47,882 million (27.7 percent of total external debt), up 0.5 percent from end-2023. Long-term external debt service ratio stood at 11.2 percent in January 2024 against 17.4 percent in 2023. At end-January 2024, goods and services import cover ran at 6.3 months, as compared to 5.6 months at end-2023. At end-January 2024, the ratio of the National Bank of Romania’s foreign exchange reserves to short-term external debt by remaining maturity came in at 99.9 percent, as against 97.4 percent at end-2023.
Ten non-governmental organizations in Romania have issued a joint letter criticizing the executive for the emergency ordinance adopted on Thursday, January 16, which provides sanctions, including a turnover tax, for social media giants that fail to obey rules regarding electoral ads. Another government measure under fire from the opposition limits voting in the diaspora according […]
Dacia, part of the French Renault group, will launch several electric models to compete with Chinese brands for the affordable EV car market in Europe. The first electric model will be the next Sandero, which will appear sometime at the end of 2027, the brand's director, Denis Le Vot, said on Thursday, according to Reuters. […]
Happy 2025, dear Insiders, may it be a good year! And let it start with classics, some universal, some underground. Italian director Federico Fellini is one of the biggest names in the history of the medium. To say he was very influential is an understatement. He has his own adjective (Fellini-esque) while scenes from his […]
Romanian national airline Tarom announced the establishment of a new company, Tarom Tehnic, dedicated to providing maintenance and repair services for civilian aircraft, specializing in Boeing, Airbus, and ATR models. The new company is expected to generate revenues of up to EUR 10 million in its first year of operation, according to estimates from the […]
Romania has been named the special guest country at the 2026 Cairo International Book Fair, the Ministry of Culture announced. The event will coincide with the celebration of 120 years of Romanian-Egyptian diplomatic relations. According to the ministry, the news was shared by Dr. Ahmed Fouad Hano, Egypt's minister of culture, during a press conference […]
Bucharest has started implementing a special recycling project that directly benefits stray animals. In Tineretului, Floreasca, and Circului parks, eco-friendly vending machines have been installed to provide food and water for stray cats in exchange for recycling bottles and aluminum cans. “Street cats lead a hard life, especially in winter. Food is essential for their […]
