In 2020, household consumption expenditure in the EU decreased by an unprecedented 8% compared with 2019, the largest annual reduction recorded since the time series started and it is due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the European Commission Statistics Office (Eurostat) reported on Monday.Social distancing measures, government restrictions imposed on the movement of people and non-essential economic activities severely affected household consumption expenditure.All the EU Member States recorded a decrease in household consumption expenditure. Data for Romania, Greece, Germany, Belgium, France, Croatia, Cyprus, Hungary, the Netherlands and Portugal are provisional, Eurostat said.When comparing 2019 with 2020, the largest decrease was recorded in Malta (around -22%), followed by Croatia, Spain and Greece (all around -16%). On the other hand, the smallest decreases were recorded in Slovakia and Denmark (both around -2%), followed by Lithuania and Poland (both around -3%), Sweden (minus 3.8%), and Romania (minus 4.3%).According to Eurostat, the largest decreases in household consumption expenditure were observed for 'Restaurants and hotels' (-38% compared with 2019), 'Clothing and footwear,' 'Transport' and 'Recreation and culture' (all -17%). On the other hand, the largest increases were recorded for 'Food and non-alcoholic beverages' (+3%) and 'Communications' (+2%).In 2020, over a quarter (26%) of household consumption expenditure was devoted to 'Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels,' making it the EU's largest household expenditure item, ahead of 'Food and non-alcoholic beverages' (15%) and 'Transport' (12%).
La French Tech Bucharest announces the third edition of its highly anticipated flagship event, Sustainability meets Profitability, set to take place on April 8th, 2025, at the Romanian - American University (1B Expoziției Boulevard, Bucharest), starting at 18:30. Sustainability meets Profitability event will explore the new regulations companies—big or small—must navigate and how they can turn […]
The builders of Romania’s important A1 Sibiu – Pitești highway are set to start the construction of a bridge over 300 meters long and at least 100 meters wide, allowing the animals of the Southern Carpathians to cross from one side to the other. The investment will pay off as a corridor for large mammals […]
The local business services industry has potential for growth, even if it will see a slower pace because the market is a mature one and given the high regional and global competitiveness, according to a report carried out by the Association of Business Service Leaders in Romania (ABSL) in partnership with Deloitte Romania. Still, the […]
Several Romanian military personnel who were on parental leave went to Congo as mercenaries, according to a statement from the Ministry of National Defense. The issue of active soldiers taking mercenary work first came up on the public agenda after PressOne...
The European Investment Bank and the government of Ukraine have agreed to allocate EUR 50 million from EIB funding to Ukraine's national railway company, Ukrzaliznytsia, for the modernization of key railway border crossings with Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania. The project includes repairs to worn-out railway tracks, the relocation of wagon inspections, the reconstruction of […]
Medicover has acquired the operations of the lab tests provider Synlab Group in Romania, Turkey, Cyprus, Slovenia, Croatia, and North Macedonia in a transaction worth EUR 71.3 million, the company announced. The transaction was financed from Medicover's own sources. It was carried out by Medicover for its diagnostic services division, present in Romania under the […]
