The European Commission decided on Friday to open an infringement procedure by sending a letter of formal notice to Romania, Belgium, Bulgaria, Greece, Spain, Lithuania and Portugal for failing to communicate to the Community Executive the measures for the full transposition of EU Directive 2022/542 regarding value added tax rates. EU member states had to communicate the full transposition of the Directive into national law by 31 December 2024, the EC press release also said. The directive allows for a wider use of reduced rates, including zero rates for essential products such as food, pharmaceuticals or those used for medical purposes. “Member States may exempt supplies of goods and services carried out within their territory by taxable persons who are established in that territory and whose annual turnover at Member State level, relating to those supplies of goods and/or services, does not exceed the threshold set by those Member States for the application of this exemption. That threshold may not exceed EUR 85,000 or the equivalent in national currency. Member States may set different thresholds for different economic sectors, based on objective criteria. However, none of these thresholds may exceed the threshold of EUR 85,000 or the equivalent in national currency,” according to the directive. The European Commission has therefore decided to send a letter of formal notice to the eight EU Member States to complete the transposition and notify their measures to the Community Executive. The mentioned States now have two months to respond to the EC’s requests. In the absence of a satisfactory response, the European Commission could decide to issue a reasoned opinion.
Romanian farmers are set to benefit from improved access to financing following a EUR 25 million loan granted by the European Investment Bank (EIB) to Agricover Credit IFN SA, aimed at supporting micro agricultural businesses across the country. The funding will be provided under the InvestEU mandate and is intended to boost productivity and promote […]
Romanians rank among the most satisfied homeowners in Europe, but rising housing-related costs continue to put significant pressure on household budgets, according to the RE/MAX European Housing Trend Report 2025. The study showed that 81% of Romanians are happy with their living situation, above the European average of 77%, while 83% live in owner-occupied properties, […]
The Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on December 15 ruled in favor of judge Cristi Danileţ in his case against Romania and ruled that the Romanian authorities had violated Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights that guarantees freedom of expression, which includes the right to hold opinions […]
Romanian car battery producer Rombat SA has been fined a total of EUR 20.2 million by the European Commission for breaching European Union competition rules, the Commission said in a decision announced on December 15. Rombat is a subsidiary of the South African automotive components group Metair. The Commission found that Rombat participated in anti-competitive […]
Romania’s industrial output rose by 0.3% y/y in October, despite a negative performance (-0.3% y/y) in the core manufacturing segment, thanks to a robust 6.6% y/y advance in the segment of utilities, according to data published by the statistics office INS. On a monthly basis, the seasonally-adjusted industrial output advanced by 0.4% m/m despite 0.5% […]
Romania’s gross external debt increased by EUR 22 billion in the first ten months of 2025 to reach EUR 225.5 billion at the end of October, equivalent to 61% of gross domestic product (GDP), according to data published by the National Bank (BNR). Long-term liabilities accounted for 78.7% of the total stock. BNR data showed […]
