In January - August 2024, the balance-of-payments current account posted a deficit of EUR 17,858 million, compared with EUR 13,830 million in January - August 2023, the National Bank of Romania (BNR) informs in a press release on Monday.The breakdown shows that the deficit on trade in goods widened by EUR 2,634 million, the surplus on services fell by EUR 863 million, the primary income deficit increased by EUR 979 million, while the secondary income surplus grew by EUR 448 million.Non-residents' direct investments in Romania totalled EUR 4,139 million (compared with EUR 4,382 million in January - August 2023), of which equity (including the estimated reinvestment of earnings) and intercompany lending recorded net values of EUR 3,563 million and EUR 576 million, respectively.In January - August 2024, total external debt increased by EUR 14,189 million to EUR 182,524 million, of which: long-term external debt at end-August 2024 ran at EUR 133,389 million (73.1 percent of total external debt), up 9.2 percent against end-2023; short-term external debt at end-August 2024 amounted to EUR 49,135 million (26.9 percent of total external debt), up 6.3 percent from end-2023.Long-term external debt service ratio stood at 13.8 percent in August 2024 against 18 percent in 2023. At end-August 2024, goods and services import cover ran at 5.9 months, as compared to 5.6 months at end-2023.At end-August 2024, the ratio of the National Bank of Romania's foreign exchange reserves to short-term external debt by remaining maturity came in at 101.1 percent, as against 99.7 percent at end-2023, the central bank points out.
Romanian prime minister Ilie Bolojan stated during an interview on Wednesday, December 17, that there should be no statute of limitations in cases of serious corruption. The statement comes after a Recorder investigation, which showed that several heads of the major institutions in the Romanian justice system allegedly delayed trials for years until wrongdoings were […]
President Nicușor Dan has challenged, before the Constitutional Court (CCR), the constitutionality of the law that requires that at least 40% of the athletes who play on a team in official national competitions be Romanian. Dan noted that the law violates the principle of non-discrimination and the free movement of workers, enshrined both in the […]
Craiova International Airport will open its new passenger terminal on Thursday, December 18, completing a major infrastructure investment aimed at significantly expanding capacity and improving air connectivity in southwestern Romania. It is part of a broader expansion and modernization project financed through the Large Infrastructure Operational Programme (POIM) 2014–2020, with a total value exceeding EUR […]
Romania is set to be connected to the Western European energy network thanks to grid investments worth EUR 30 billion. The funds will be provided by the EU by 2035, and the project will link Romania to Hungary and Austria in a joint project. Romanian energy minister Bogdan Ivan signaled the signing of the new […]
Franck Bagouet has been appointed managing director of TotalEnergies Marketing Romania SA and managing director of Automotive Southeast Europe Hub TotalEnergies Marketing. He succeeds Didier Grimault, who has accepted a new position within the TotalEnergies company. “I am glad to join this dynamic affiliate and confident that, together with our talented team, we will reinforce […]
Databricks, the data analytics and artificial intelligence company co-founded by Romanian professors Ion Stoica and Matei Zaharia, announced on Tuesday, December 16, that it is raising USD 4 billion in funding at a valuation of USD 134 billion, according to CNBC. The new valuation represents a 34% increase compared to the August round, when Databricks […]
