The automotive sector represented at the national level by the Romanian Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACAROM) declares itself shocked by the new fiscal budget measures aimed at the Rabla and Rabla Plus (scrappage) schemes, announced in the draft Emergency Ordinance published by the Ministry of Finance on Thursday."After the adoption of some fiscal measures that were not previously discussed with the business environment, which directly impact the automotive sector (taxation with 1% of turnover, tax on micro-enterprises, etc.), we've learned with astonishment that the Ministry of Finance (the Government of Romania) is proposing new measures the enforcement of which will seriously impact the automotive sector in Romania. Thus, the change in a completely unforeseen and unbalanced way of the amount of vouchers offered under the Rabla scheme (to half of the current value) and the Rabla Plus scheme (to 1/5 of the current value) will lead to a collapse of the new vehicle market, combined with an exponential increase in the import of used vehicles. In 2023, we expect the new car market to reach 145,000 units, with the major contribution of the Rabla and Rabla Plus schemes," claim ACAROM representatives, in a press release sent on Thursday.According to the source, under the conditions of the announced measures, these schemes lose their attractiveness and thus the forecast for 2024 is disastrous, i.e. a market of new vehicles of a maximum of 80,000 units, with a direct negative impact on jobs in the sector and the turnover of Romanian companies from the automotive field."At the same time, we emphasize that the decrease in the values of the vouchers granted through the 2 scrappage schemes will affect the possibility of Romanian citizens to purchase new, less polluting vehicles. Thus, the beneficial effect of the running of the schemes in previous years is canceled: the increase in the share of hybrid, electrified and electric vehicles, having as a direct consequence, the increase in imports of second-hand, more polluting and unsafe vehicles," the professional association mentions.
Participation in cultural education activities continues to be limited, with the main barriers being difficult access, insufficient knowledge, and cost, the recently released Cultural Consumption Barometer 2024 shows. The report showed that many Romanians still associate culture with entertainment rather than with personal development or furthering their knowledge. The need for relaxation dominates in cultural […]
Roughly 84% of Romanians say that the pace of the state’s digitalization is slow or very slow, according to an Edge Institute & AtlasIntel study presented at the Digital Governance Summit 2025, which took place on Tuesday, November 25, at the presidential palace in Bucharest. The survey aims to capture the way citizens relate to […]
Romania’s Superior Council of Magistracy (CSM) issued a negative opinion on the new bill regarding magistrates’ pensions. The move is only the latest development concerning a heated issue that led to tensions between the executive and the judiciary branch. CSM’s opinion is consultative, and the government led by Ilie Bolojan can still take responsibility for […]
Romania took the presidency of the Central European Initiative (or CEI) on Wednesday, November 26, according to a press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE). The organization is a regional intergovernmental forum established in 1989, following the fall of the Berlin Wall. It gathers 17 Member States in Central, Eastern, and South-Eastern Europe […]
Trade between Romania and Poland continues to grow, with annual bilateral exchanges in goods now valued at more than EUR 12 billion, according to figures presented by the Polish-Romanian Bilateral Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PRBCC). The data was released during a reception in Bucharest marking Poland’s Independence Day and Romania’s National Day. Polish investments […]
As Romania moves closer to implementing the EU Pay Transparency Directive, local employers are preparing for one of the most consequential shifts in workplace regulation in over a decade. The directive, set for transposition by June 2026, introduces strict new rules on salary disclosure, pay reporting, and equal-pay verification, aiming to close persistent gender gaps […]
