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%).
Bucharest’s Grigore Antipa Museum of Natural History is now offering an audio guide in Ukrainian. The guide, made in a partnership with Ukraine’s Embassy to Romania, adds to the museum’s existing ones in Romanian, English, and Turkish. The project is part of an initiative started by Ukraine’s first lady, Olena Zelenska, and rolled out in […]
The remains of Grigore Alexandru Ghica, a prince of Moldavia in the second half of the 19th century, have been brought back to Romania from France’s Le Mée-sur-Seine this past weekend. After lying in state at Cotroceni Palace, the headquarters of the Romanian Presidency, the coffin with his remains will travel to Focşani and Iaşi, […]
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...
