Romania ranks last in EU for the share of expenses for research and development in GDP, of only 0.38%, less than 1% registered by Greece, Bulgaria and Poland, according to Eurostat data. In 2014 the highest level of expense share for research and development in GDP was recorded in Finland (3.1%), Sweden (3.16%) and Denmark (3.08%). Austria allocated 2.99% for these expenses, Germany 2.84%, Belgium 2.46%, Slovenia 2.39% and France 2.26%. At the opposite pole we find Romania with only 0.38% of GDP allocated to research and development , other states with less than 1% of expenses - Cyprus (0.47%), Latvia (0.68%), Croatia (0.79%), Bulgaria (0.8%), Greece (0.83%), Malta (0.85%), Slovakia (0.89%) and Poland (0.94%). Compared to 2004, the GDP share of expenses for research and development grew in 23 member states, dropped in Croatia, Luxembourg, Finland and Sweden but remained the same in Romania. In 2014, EU states spent about a total of 283 billion euros for research and development but the GDP share was 2,03%, the same as in 2013. Ten years ago the EU GDP share was 1.76%. Compared to other large economies, the share of expenses for research and development in EU GDP was less than in South Korea (4.14% in 2013) and Japan (3.47% in 2013) and less than in USA (2.81% in 2012) but equal to that of China (2.08% in 2013) and higher than in Russia (1.15%).
Representatives of the ruling Social Democratic Party, PSD, gathered for a congress in Bucharest on Friday, November 7, to elect new leadership and to amend the party’s Statute. The only candidate for party leader is Sorin Grindeanu, who held the interim position after Marcel Ciolacu's resignation in May. In his speech at the congress, Sorin […]
The e-commerce sector recorded strong early results on Black Friday 2025, according to real-time data released on Friday, November 7, by PayU GPO Romania from its dedicated Media Center. By 14:10, the payment processor reported successful transactions totaling RON 514 million (roughly EUR 101 million). PayU said shoppers had made roughly 889,000 purchases, with around […]
Contakt Express Logistik, one of Romania’s leading retailers of mobile phone and tablet accessories, with a network of over 235 stores, is set to launch the initial public offering (IPO) between November 12 and December 3, 2025. The company offers a wide range of products, including cases, screen protectors, chargers, and gadgets, both in physical […]
Romania attracts fewer international tourists today than it did during the communist era, making it the only country in Europe in this situation, the National Association of Travel Agencies (ANAT) warned, as reported by news agency Agerpres. According to the organization, Romania received more than 3.4...
InterCapital ETF, the first international ETF provider in Romania, will launch two new exchange-traded funds on the Bucharest Stock Exchange starting November 11, 2025. The new instruments are the InterCapital CROBEX10 TR UCITS ETF, which offers exposure to the Croatian blue-chip equity market by tracking the performance of the CROBEX10tr index, and the InterCapital EUR […]
The Competition Councils of Romania, Bulgaria, and the Republic of Moldova have granted the necessary authorizations and approvals for the completion of the transaction through which Maspex Romania takes over the majority shareholding of Purcari Wineries. The Maspex Group, which has been present in Romania for nearly 30 years, became the majority shareholder of one […]
