Due to adverse climatic conditions, hail and drought in critical periods, Romania's wine production decreased by approximately 19.8% in 2024 from 2023 to 3.7 million hectolitres (mhl), one of the most significant percentage decreases in the European Union, according to the latest report published by the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV).However, Romania manages to maintain its position on the world wine map, both through the cultivated area and through its role in domestic consumption. According OIV, Romania is among the top ten countries with the largest vineyard areas. At this indicator, Romania continues to occupy an important place in the global ranking, with a total area cultivated with vines of 187,000 hectares (of which 8,179 hectares are table grapes), a slight increase in the area from 2023 (+0.1%). "This places it on the 8th place worldwide, surpassing countries such as Portugal, Chile and Australia. Romania is among the few member states of the European Union to witness growth in 2024, along with Italy and Greece, amid a generalised decline elsewhere in Europe," according to the National Office of Wine and Vine Products (ONVPV).In terms of domestic consumption, Romania recorded a decrease of 11.4%, with an estimated total of 3 mhl consumed in 2024. Despite the decline, consumption remains 4% above the average of the last five years, signalling a relative resilience of the domestic market, despite economic and inflationary pressures, according to ONVPV.Globally, 2024 was a difficult year for the wine sector, marked by extreme weather conditions, historic declines in production and a continuously declining global consumption. According to OIV, global wine production (excluding musts and juices) fell to 225.8 mhl, the lowest level since 1961.Also, OIV estimates for 2024 indicate a world consumption of 214.2 mhl, down 3.3% from 2023 and the lowest since 1961. The downward trend, which began in 2018, reflects changes in consumer behaviour, generational preferences, but also economic pressures such as inflation and declining purchasing power.The European Union produced 138.3 million mhl in 2024 (-3.5% from 2023), recording the lowest production in the 21st century. Italy remains the world's largest producer at 44.1 mhl, followed by France (36.1 mhl, down 23.5%) and Spain (31 mhl).The volume of international trade in wine remained relatively low at 99.8 mhl, this was offset by strong export value, reaching EUR 35.9 billion. Bottled wine (< 2 litres) represented 50.8% of trade volumes globally in 2024 and 67.0% of the value, while sparkling and bag-in-box wines recorded decreases in both volume and value.
Passenger traffic at Bucharest’s two airports reached 13.2 million in January–September, an increase of 9.23% compared with the same period in 2024, the Bucharest National Airports Company (CNAB) announced. The figures cover Henri Coandă International Airport in Otopeni and Aurel Vlaicu Airport in Băneasa. Henri Coandă Airport handled 12.9 million passengers and 95,944 aircraft movements […]
The impact of the reform in local and central public administration will be about RON 3.5-4.5 billion (EUR 0.7-0.9 billion or up to 0.2% of GDP), announced the minister of development, Cseke Attila, according to Economedia.ro. "The impact...
The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) issued a decision on November 13 that undermines efforts by Romania’s judiciary to secure higher remuneration for judges performing additional tasks, Economedia.ro reported. The ruling comes one...
The negotiations between the ruling coalition in Romania and the magistrates' organisations on the retirement terms of the judges and prosecutors reached a deadlock on November 13, amid maximal requests expressed by the magistrates that would result in their pensions remaining close to the pre-retirement wages and the retirement age rising slowly within 20 years […]
The Romanian government is close to submitting the fourth disbursement request under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), worth EUR 2.6 billion, minister of investments and European projects Dragoș Pîslaru said on November 13. The tranche consists entirely of grant funding and includes 62 milestones and targets linked to 26 reforms and 23 investments. […]
The Economic and Financial Affairs Council of the European Union on 13 November approved the revised National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) for Romania, providing for EUR 21.4 billion (EUR 7 billion downward revision) with half of the money (or roughly 2.5% of GDP) to be absorbed within less than a year – which is […]
