Companies and inventors from around the world, including Romania, filed 199,264 patent applications with the European Patent Office (EPO) last year, with the majority in the area of information technology, according to the 2024 Patent Index, published on Tuesday.According to an EPO press release, Romania submitted 63 applications for European patents (+50% compared to 2023), with the main areas being medical technology (11 applications) and IT-related areas, including information technology and IT methods for management (8). The strongest Romanian applicant was, for the second consecutive year, "Stefan cel Mare" University of Suceava.Of the total applications submitted to the EPO in 2024, computer technology, which includes areas of AI such as machine learning and pattern recognition, was the leading field for the first time, with 16 815 patent applications in 2024. Electrical machinery, apparatus, energy posted the strongest growth last year (+8.9% on 2023), driven by advances in clean energy technologies, particularly battery innovation (+24.0%).The Unitary Patent system launched in 2023 continues to gain momentum, offering innovators simpler and more accessible patent protection across 18 EU member states with a single request to the EPO. Romania will join this system starting September 1, 2024, meaning that from that date, all European patents with unitary effect will automatically cover Romania as well.According to last year's centralised data, unitary protection was requested for 25.6% of all European patents granted by the EPO in 2024, totalling over 28,000 requests - a 53% increase compared to 2023 (18,300 requests). Patentees from EPO member states had the highest uptake rate, with 36.5% of their European patents transformed into Unitary PatentsFor Romania, the acceptance rate was 52.6%, while for other regions, it was lower: South Korea (18.9%), China (17.9%), the USA (16%) and Japan (7.9%).
Low-cost airline Wizz Air announced the opening of its first dedicated aircraft maintenance center in Romania, located at Bucharest Băneasa International Airport. Developed in partnership with aerospace and defense company Romaero, the facility marks a strategic move in the airline’s local and regional operations. Scheduled to begin operations in October 2025, the maintenance center will […]
Romania had the highest proportion of people in the European Union unable to afford a one-week holiday away from home in 2024, with 58.6% of the population affected, according to data published by Eurostat on July 15. The figure places Romania at the top of the EU ranking, ahead of Greece (46%) and Bulgaria (41.4%), […]
The no-confidence motion filed by the far-right Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) against the government of prime minister Ilie Bolojan failed on July 14 during the joint session of the Parliament. The outcome was broadly expected, despite the Social Democrats' vocal discontent with what they claim to be the prime minister's authoritarian decision […]
Two of Romania's ruling coalition leaders have signaled that the country will eventually adopt a progressive taxation system, though both parties agree that the current economic and social conditions are not yet suitable for such a shift. The Liberal Party (PNL) and the reformist USR party have previously argued against progressive taxation. Deputy prime minister […]
The Romanian Ministry of Finance raised RON 1.66 bln ( EUR 330 million) from the population in the July edition of its Fidelis government bond programme, maintaining the same level as the June issue and significantly exceeding the RON 1.18 billion subscribed in May. Despite the consistent demand, July’s subscription remained below the record set […]
Romania’s current account (CA) deficit surged by 43% y/y to EUR 33.6 billion in 12 months to May 2025, driven by each of its main components but particularly by the 17% y/y wider trade deficit in goods, according to data published by the National Bank of Romania (BNR). Romania’s CA gap thus hit 9.5% of […]
