The Council of the European Union on Friday opened formal procedures against EU member states facing an excessive deficit and decided to keep the existing excessive deficit procedure open in the case of Romania, DPA and Euronews report. France, Italy, Belgium, Hungary, Malta, Poland and Slovakia are the EU member states which got into the procedure of excessive deficit (PDE) and must reduce public expenditure, announced the European Commission recently.In a press release of the EU Council shows that ‘Romania who has been in procedure of excessive deficit since 2020, did not take efficient measures to correct its deficit and, as a result, the procedure should be kept open’. The purpose of the procedure for excessive deficit is that the EU member states to keep their budgets under control. In theory, the procedures can lead to fines, but it has never happened. Following the opening of the procedures, until the end of the year, the EU member states will be asked to approve the EC recommendations regarding the way of solving the issue of deficits within the approved time limit.Out of the member states in procedure of excessive deficit, in 2023, Italy had the highest budgetary deficit (7.4% of GDP), followed by Hungary *6.7% of GDP), Romania (6.6% of GDP), France (5.5%of GDP), Poland (5.1% of GDP), Malta and Slovakia (both with 4.9 of GDP) and Belgium (4.4% of GDP).In April, EU member states adopted new rules governing the level of public debt that an EU country can accumulate and the size of the budget deficit allowed. The new rules keep the debt and deficit limits set in the treaties at 60% and 3% of GDP respectively, but give countries more room for manoeuvre to negotiate their adjustment paths with the European Commission in four-year plans, which can be extended to seven years if they adopt reforms and investment. There are also common reduction targets to ensure adjustments are not delayed. Countries that exceed the debt ceiling must reduce their debt by one percentage point each year if it exceeds 90% of GDP, and by half a percentage point if it falls below that level. Countries with a deficit of 3% will still have to correct it to 1.5% to have a reserve to fall back on in times of crisis.
Romanian deep-tech startup .lumen, the developer of what it says are the world’s first AI-powered glasses for the blind, has secured a new investment from EIT Urban Mobility, the European innovation community focused on advancing sustainable and inclusive urban mobility solutions. The value of the new funding round was not disclosed. The investment aligns with […]
The health spending per capita in Romania was the lowest in the EU, with spending less than half the EU average in 2023, the recently released report, State of Health in the EU - Romania Country Health Profile 2025, shows. At the same time, life expectancy in Romania is 5.1 years below the EU average, […]
Romania’s annual inflation rate stood at roughly 9.8% in November 2025, similar to October, according to data published by the National Institute of Statistics (INS). Food prices increased by 7.6% last month, while services rose roughly 11% and non-food goods climbed 10.7%. The consumer price index rose by 0.42% in November compared with October, while […]
Three French soldiers deployed in Romania as part of NATO’s Multinational Battle Group at Cincu intervened to save a truck driver following a serious traffic accident on the A3 Bucharest–Ploiești motorway, the Romanian Ministry of Defense said. The incident occurred earlier this week as the soldiers were traveling toward Ploiești and witnessed the truck crash...
Eight contemporary art galleries will present the works of the artists they represent at the third edition of the Smallest Art Fair in Town, an event dedicated to works on paper. This edition showcases works “investigating the state of wandering, disorientation, and rediscovery in the face of uncertainty.” Under the title In Dark Woods, A […]
Parents everywhere are asking an important question: What skills will truly prepare a child for a world defined by rapid change, global uncertainty, and the rise of artificial intelligence? For decades, schools focused entirely on academics. Today, research from neuroscience, performance psychology, and leading universities shows a different reality: The students who thrive long-term are […]
