The current account of the balance of payments recorded a deficit of 29.370 billion euros in 2024, compared to 21.491 billion euros in 2023, according to data released by the National Bank of Romania, published on Thursday.In its structure, the balance of goods recorded a deficit higher by 3.854 billion euros, the balance of services recorded a surplus lower by 1.815 billion euros, the balance of primary income recorded a deficit higher by 1.273 billion euros, and the balance of secondary income recorded a surplus lower by 937 million euros.During the period January - December 2024, the total external debt increased by 20.336 billion euros, up to 203.575 billion euros. In structure, long-term external debt amounted to 154.433 billion euros as of December 31, 2024 (75.9% of total external debt), up 12.7% compared to December 31, 2023. Short-term external debt recorded on December 31, 2024 the level of 49.142 billion euros (24.1% of total external debt), up by 6.3% compared to December 31, 2023.The long-term external debt service rate was 16.5% in December 2024, compared to 16.7% in 2023. The coverage rate of imports of goods and services on December 31, 2024 was 5.8 months, compared to 5.6 months on December 31, 2023.The coverage rate of short-term external debt, calculated at the residual value, with foreign exchange reserves at the NBR on December 31, 2024 was 100.3%, compared to 99.7% on December 31, 2023.
The Romanian software company Life is Hard, listed on the Bucharest Stock Exchange under the ticker LIH, announced a strategic investment of EUR 250,000 in RepsMate, a deep-tech startup, on Friday, May 23. RepsMate specializes in conversational AI and the intelligent automation of company-customer interactions. The investment reinforces the growth in LIH’s ENGINE division, which […]
An autonomous, driverless bus was tested on Thursday, May 22, in Cluj-Napoca during the International Summit for Climate Neutrality, held under the slogan "Carbon OFF. Future ON,” to demonstrate the integration of modern technology into public transport. The bus performed a demonstration tour on a short route, starting from the Radisson hotel, crossing George Coșbuc […]
Romania’s national railway company CFR Călători announced on Thursday, May 22, that it will provide a daily direct connection from Bucharest to Varna starting June 13, and to Sofia and Istanbul/Halkali starting June 14. According to the cited source, the train will run on the new route from June 13 to October 13, 2025, and […]
Romanian filmmaker Bogdan Mureșanu will premiere his first animated short film, Magicianul/The Magician, at the prestigious Annecy International Animation Film Festival, taking place in France from June 8 to 14. The film, written, directed, and produced by Mureșanu, is the only Romanian title selected in the official competition, which features 35 productions...
US general Ben Hodges, the former head of the United States Army in Europe, said on Thursday, May 22, that if Russia attacks NATO, it will first bomb Romania’s port of Constanța and civilian targets. Hodges spoke in an interview about the possibility of reducing American troops in Europe, and implicitly in Romania. He added […]
Romania's national women’s handball team faces an uphill battle against Denmark, Japan, and Croatia in the group stage at the 2025 World Championship. The teams were selected on Thursday, May 22, at the Noordbrabants Museum in 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands. Romania was part of the second seeding pot at the draw for the groups of the 27th edition […]
