Since early 2020, EU Member States have been taking restrictive measures to slow down the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. This didn’t stop in 2021, when different waves of COVID-19 outbreaks required the Member States to react, resulting in a considerable decrease in petroleum products consumption in the EU. Consumption of motor gasoline, kerosene-type jet fuel and gas and diesel oil used for transport of people, heating and products were severely affected, and none of the fuels has completely returned to pre-COVID levels. While in 2020, EU Member States showed a combined decrease in motor gasoline consumption of 11% (from 74 million tonnes to 66 million tonnes) compared to 2019 levels, this value stands at a 5% decrease in 2021 (from 74 million tonnes to 70.4 million tonnes in 2021). The biggest declines in consumption were registered in Ireland, Luxembourg and Spain (more than a 20% decrease in each). As every Member State's air transport was profoundly affected, consumption of kerosene-type jet fuel fell drastically in 2020 compared to 2019 (-56%) and did not recover considerably in 2021 (still -46%). In 2020 and 2021, the smallest reductions in consumption were registered in Luxembourg and Belgium, while Croatia, Romania and Cyprus saw the largest decreases. Among the Member States, the largest increases were in Slovenia (21.7%), Slovakia (16.5%) and Portugal (15.9%). In Romania, retail sales increased by 5.6% year-on-year, above the EU average. EU consumption of gas and diesel oil down 7% In terms of gas and diesel oil, in 2020, EU wide consumption fell by 7%, especially in Luxembourg, Italy, Spain and Slovenia. Only in Finland, Cyprus and Romania was consumption greater than in 2019. In 2021, EU consumption increased but was still below 2019 levels (-6%). In some cases, like Luxembourg, Germany, the Netherlands and Greece, consumption in 2021 compared to 2019 levels fell to even lower levels than in 2020, while in 10 Member States the use of gas and diesel oil increased above 2019 levels (Romania, Estonia, Croatia, Poland, Cyprus, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Czechia, Sweden and Latvia).
The National Bank of Romania (BNR) ended 2024 with a profit of roughly RON 3.8 billion (EUR 760 million), a 58% increase compared to the previous year, despite the operations it performed to maintain the national currency's stability. The figures, published in a report on Monday, June 23, show that operating costs for 2024 were […]
Over half of Romanians trust the United States and the United Kingdom, according to the Informat.ro - INSCOP Research Barometer conducted between May 26–30, 2025. Only 11% trust Russia, with higher levels of trust from among far-right voters of the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) party. The United States is trusted by 52.8% […]
Prahova County launched construction on a major cycling infrastructure project aimed at connecting local vineyard towns and promoting green mobility and sustainable tourism. The initiative, titled “Establishment of Bicycle Lanes on Bachus’s Route,” represents an investment of over RON 25 million, with RON 21 million coming from non-reimbursable funds provided by the Environmental Fund Administration. […]
Forvis Mazars, the international audit, tax and advisory services partnership, is pleased to announce the launch of its International German-Romanian Desk, an initiative aimed at addressing the demand for integrated cross-border tax and legal support between Germany and Romania. The Desk combines a highly qualified German team of lawyers with an interdisciplinary Romanian team of […]
Last week, the BBC reported that Romanian authorities have launched an investigation into Tristan Tate, brother of controversial internet personality Andrew Tate, over allegations he broke election laws by posting political content on social media during the recent presidential elections. The investigation, opened by the Ilfov county police according to the British newspaper's sources, is […]
Bucharest is facing growing environmental challenges, with traffic-related air pollution, shrinking green spaces, and worsening climate impacts threatening the health and well-being of its residents, according to the latest “State of the Environment in Bucharest” report released by the Bucharest Community Foundation through the Environmental Platform for Bucharest. For example, air pollution has already reached […]
