Romania has annually closed an average of two percentage points of the gap with the European average. In 2000, Romania’s GDP per capita (at purchasing power parity) stood at around 25% of the EU average, but currently, this figure exceeds 75%, said Csaba Balint, a member of the Board of Director of the National Bank of Romania (BNR). An important role was played by the dynamic increase in labor productivity, Balint believes, and Romania had the fastest growth in the CEE region. This positive trend was largely supported by economic restructuring: in 2000, almost 45% of the employed population was involved in agriculture, followed by industry (22%) and market services (21%). currently, the weight has shifted significantly towards market services with a much higher added value. Within the services sector, certain categories such as IT&C have shown exceptionally fast growth. If we analyze the share of the added value of the IT&C segment in the national economies, Romania is in the top 5 of the EU countries. In addition to the country’s capital, there are numerous regional economic centers – such as Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Timisoara, Brasov, Iasi, Constanta or Craiova, which play an important role in development. The seven most important economic poles in Romania contribute to more than 50% of the national GDP. All counties in Romania have made significant progress in the last almost two and a half decades in terms of GDP per capita, but regional disparities have increased, said the BNR expert. In the current global context, characterized by uncertainty and major structural changes, Romania must be prepared to respond to some challenges: the aging of the population, the transition to a green economy, digitization, geopolitical tensions and global fragmentation, as well as the impact of artificial intelligence, with all its aspects positives and associated risks, the economist concluded.
Romania’s National Company for Road Infrastructure Administration (CNAIR) has announced plans to equip highways A1, A2, and A3, as well as national road DN1 with surveillance cameras, with the investment valued at RON 220 million (EUR 44.2 million) excluding VAT. The cameras will allow authorities to penalize drivers who exceed speed limits and detect other […]
Accor, a global leader in hospitality, proudly announces the opening of Swissôtel Poiana Brașov, introducing the Swissôtel brand to Romania for the first time. Located in the heart of Poiana Brașov, Romania’s most popular ski resort, the hotel is surrounded by the lush landscapes of the Postăvarul Massif, making it an ideal escape for skiers, […]
Romanian MEP Siegfried Mureșan (EPP/PNL) has been appointed by the political groups of the European Parliament as the chief negotiator for the future Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) of the European Union post-2027. Mureșan, who was chief negotiator for the EUR 800 billion European Recovery and Resilience Mechanism and the 2018 and 2024 EU annual budgets, […]
Romania is failing to capitalize on strong positive private consumption and investments because of rising imports, which weigh visibly on economic growth, ING Bank analysts wrote in a note as they lowered their 2024 growth forecast from 2.0% to 1.3% on Friday, September 6. The detailed economic...
Romanian prime minister Marcel Ciolacu had a meeting with Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Thursday, September 5. During the meeting, Ciolacu highlighted the importance of peace in the Middle East. The Romanian and Israeli prime ministers discussed economic cooperation projects, focusing on the defense industry, tourism, and Romania's agri-food exports. "We have dynamic […]
Romania’s gross domestic product (GDP) increased by 0.8% in the second quarter of 2024 compared with the same quarter of last year, based on both unadjusted data series and seasonally adjusted data series, the National Statistics Office (INS) announced on Friday, September 6. For the first half of 2024, Romania’s GDP recorded an annual growth […]
