The European Commission has approved a €358 million (1.772 billion RON) Romanian scheme to support small and medium-sized enterprises (‘SMEs') affected by the coronavirus outbreak and the restrictive measures that the Romanian government had to implement to limit the spread of the virus. The public support was approved under the State aid Temporary Framework. Under the scheme, the aid will take the form of direct grants for investments in productive activities, up to a maximum amount of €1 million (4934.3 RON) per beneficiary. The scheme will be open to SMEs active in sectors particularly affected by the coronavirus outbreak, such as processing industry, construction, wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles, transport and storage. In order to be eligible, companies must have been established in Romania by 31 December 2018 and must have recorded operating profits over 2019. The scheme is expected to benefit 4,000 companies. The Commission found that the Romanian scheme is in line with the conditions set out in the Temporary Framework. In particular, the aid (i) will not exceed €1.8 million per beneficiary; and (ii) will be granted no later than 31 December 2021. The Commission concluded that the measure is necessary, appropriate and proportionate to remedy a serious disturbance in the economy of a Member State, in line with Article 107(3)(b) TFEU and the conditions set out in the Temporary Framework. On this basis, the Commission approved the measure under EU State aid rules.
During the Executive Committee meeting on Thursday, November 20, the Romanian Gymnastics Federation decided to dissolve the national teams after a series of public accusations of harassment. The accusations are not new. At the end of October, upon returning to the country after the World Gymnastics Championships in Jakarta, 23-year-old athlete Denisa Golgotă revealed that […]
Chinese electronic giant Xiaomi has opened its first physical store in Romania as part of a broader strategy to strengthen its presence on the local market, with additional retail expansion planned for 2026. The new Xiaomi Store, located in Bucharest’s ParkLake Shopping Center, is the company’s first directly operated retail space in the country and […]
Romania will introduce new penalties for retailers that refuse to replace defective products, under a new law recently promulgated by president Nicușor Dan. The measure requires traders to provide a replacement within 30 days when customers report that a purchased item is faulty, whether the purchase was made in-store or online. The retailers that fail […]
Romanian saber fencer Vlad Covaliu was named the best in the world in the junior category for the second consecutive year, according to a press release from Bucharest-based CS Dinamo. The winners of the 2024–2025 World Cup were awarded over the weekend at the International Fencing Federation 2025 Congress held in Manama, the capital of […]
Romanian Finqware (17th), Questo (18th), Footprints AI (21st), and Steepsoft AI (28th) are among the fastest-growing technology startups in the region, included in the main category of the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Central Europe 2025 ranking. The ranking measures the growth rate between 2021 and 2024. This year's ranking, now in its 26th edition, is […]
Verbund Wind Power Romania, the Romanian subsidiary of Austrian energy company Verbund, has selected a consortium comprising Prime Batteries Technology and Enevo Group for the supply and integration of a new Battery Energy Storage System - BESS with a capacity of 76 MWh and an absorption/delivery capacity of 48MW. Verbund operates a 226 MW wind […]
