The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has downgraded its estimate of Romania's economic growth this year to 1.9%, from 2.8% in April, according to the latest World Economic Outlook report, published by the international financial institution on Tuesday.According to the new IMF forecasts, after a 2.1% growth last year, the Romanian economy will slow down to 1.9% this year, and then accelerate to 3.3% in 2025. In the spring, the IMF estimated a 2.8% increase in Romania's GDP in 2024, figures also revised downwards from the 3.8% advance forecast last autumn.The international financial institution also expects Romania's current account deficit to widen further to 7.5% of GDP in 2024, from 7.1% of GDP, as forecast in April. Moreover, the IMF estimates a slight reduction in the current account deficit to 7% of GDP in 2025, down from the 6.8% it estimated in spring. According to IMF forecasts, Romania's current account deficit will remain at a high level even in 2029, when it will stand at 5.9% of GDP.As regards inflation, the IMF foresees that Romania will record an average annual price increase of 5.3% this year, followed by 3.6% in 2025, after a 10.4% rise in 2023. By comparison, in April, the IMF was estimating an average annual inflation of 6% in 2024 and 4% in 2025.As for the unemployment rate, the IMF expects it to remain stable at 5.6% in 2024 and to fall slightly to 5.4% in 2025.The forecasts were released on the occasion of the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB), which are taking place this week in Washington.In Bucharest, in September, the National Commission for Strategy and Prognosis (CNSP) revised downwards to 2.8% the economic growth projection for this year, from 3.4% previously, with the Gross Domestic Product expected to reach nearly 1,769 billion RON.
On Friday, January 3, aerospace and defense company Raytheon Technologies was awarded a USD 946 million contract by the US Pentagon to deliver an additional Patriot missile systems to Romania, aimed at bolstering the country's air defense capabilities by 2029. The contract, which includes advanced radars, control stations, and interceptor missiles, marks Romania's third order […]
Romanian mountain rescuers announced on Friday, January 3, that they registered a record number of interventions and 161 calls for emergency assistance in the past 24 hours. A total of 162 people were rescued, over 100 of whom required transport to a hospital. "An unwanted absolute record of mountain rescue and first aid interventions in […]
Far-right politician and former presidential candidate Călin Georgescu announced in a message on X that he will appeal the annulment of the Romanian presidential elections before the European Court of Human Rights. On December 6, 2024, as Romanians abroad had already begun to vote, Romania’s Constitutional Court (CCR) unanimously annulled the entire presidential election process, […]
Romania seems poised to become a bigger tourist attraction in 2025 after being recommended as a stellar destination by Vogue and CNN. Both publications signal that their choice for Romania was determined by the overtourism noticed in other locations. “The lifestyle editors at Vogue thought long and hard about the best places to travel in […]
The American Chamber of Commerce in Romania (AmCham Romania) expresses its concern over the fiscal measures announced by the Government, but also about the immediate deadline for their implementation, January 1, 2025, which puts the business environment in a difficult situation and further affects economic predictability and investor confidence."Over the past five years, AmCham […]
Romania has become a full member of the Schengen Area at midnight, in the night between Tuesday, December 31, and Wednesday, January 1.Thus, after joining the free movement space with its air and sea borders, as of Wednesday, Romania also joined the Schengen area with its land borders.According to the General Inspectorate of the Border […]
