Bucharest concentrates over quarter of Romania's foreign trade activity in first half of year

Over a quarter (26.4%) of Romania's foreign trade activity was concentrated in Bucharest, in the first semester of the year, with operations worth 13.9 billion euros, shows an analysis of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Municipality Bucharest (CCIB), based on the information of the National Institute of Statistics (INS).According to the quoted source, Bucharest is followed, in the first quarter of 2024, by Timis county - with a total share of 8.1% of international trade, Ilfov - with 7.7%, Arges (6.4%) and Brasov (4.2%).Regarding export, during the analyzed period, the firms and companies from Bucharest delivered goods outside the country's borders, in the amount of 4.4 billion euros, equivalent to 19.1% of Romania's export.In this segment, the Capital was followed by the counties: Timis - with a share of 9.8%, Arges (8.3%), Brasov (5.2%), Ilfov (4.8%), Dolj (4, 7%), Arad (4.3%), Alba (4.1%), Prahova (3.8%) and Sibiu (3.4%).Overall, the share of these ten counties in Romania's export was 67.5%, while the remaining 32 accounted for only 32.5%.According to the CCIB analysis, the main groups of goods exported by the companies with their headquarters in Bucharest were: machines and appliances, electrical equipment and their parts (27.3%), plant products (18.1%), mineral products ( 13.1%), products of the chemical industry (8.3%), food products, beverages, alcoholic liquids and vinegar, tobacco and tobacco substitutes (5.5%), vehicles and auxiliary transport equipment (4.8%) , base metals and articles thereof (4%), instruments and optical equipment (3.2%), textile materials and articles thereof (3%), weapons and ammunition, their parts and accessories (2.2%).All these groups of goods have a share of 86.8% of the export of Bucharest companies, the analysis specifies.As far as imports are concerned, firms and companies with headquarters in the Municipality of Bucharest reported a value of 9.5 billion euros (32% share of Romania's imports in the period January 1 - March 31, 2024).In context, the Capital, which holds almost a third of the total import, was followed in the top by the counties: Ilfov - with 9.9%, Timis (6.8%), Prahova (5.2%), Arges (4, 9%), Cluj (3.8%), Brasov (3.4%), Arad (2.7%), Alba (2.7%) and Mures (2.7%). On a general level, the share of the ten counties in Romania's import was 74.1%, while the remaining 32 totaled 25.9%.By the structure of the goods imported by companies with headquarters in Bucharest, the main six groups found in the statistics of the analyzed period were: machines and devices, electrical equipment and their parts (22.9%), products of the chemical industry (19, 8%), vehicles, aircraft, vessels and transport equipment (7.9%), foodstuffs, beverages, alcoholic liquids and vinegar, tobacco (7.4%), mineral products (7.3%), base metals and articles from these (6.5%), which had a share of 71.8% of the import of Bucharest companies.