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%).
Romanians living abroad are the first to cast their ballots in the second round of the 2025 presidential election, with voting officially starting on Thursday, May 15, at 22:00 Romanian time, when the polling station in Auckland, New Zealand, opens its doors, the electoral authority
The Fortified Church of Apold, in central Romania’s Mureş county, will open on May 17 for a performative evening that is meant to transform the historical site into a lively space, CasApold Association, the organizers of the event, announced. The program of the evening includes community interventions, live music, candlelight tours, art installations and the […]
The weekend of the presidential elections run-off brings film and design festivals, the crowd-pleaser Night of Museums, and a Festival of Pirates in the Danube Delta.
Loud screens and noise stress young children and affect their development Sound pollution in Romanian homes affects children's learning, play, and sleep, who are more vulnerable to noise than adults Studies show that children exposed to TV for 2 hours daily are 6 times more likely to experience language development delays Renowned doctor: Experiences actually […]
Estonian cinema will take center stage at the 24th edition of the Transilvania International Film Festival (TIFF) in the Focus Estonia program, presenting a curated selection featuring both recent releases and rediscovered classics, screened in restored versions. Among the films to be screened is Moonika Siimets' The Black Hole (2024), a dark sci-fi comedy inspired […]
The ITH Group, which includes the portals Vola.ro, Fru.pl, and GoVola.com and operates in Romania, Poland, and Bulgaria, announced the direct integration of LOT Polish Airlines flights into its own platforms. The collaboration strengthens the group’s position as a regional leader in flight ticket distribution, according to its press release. This will be achieved through […]
