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.
Druid AI today announced it has secured USD 31 million in Series C financing to advance the global expansion of its enterprise-ready agentic AI platform under the leadership of its new CEO, Joseph Kim. The investment was led by Cipio Partners, with participation from TQ Ventures, Karma Ventures, Smedvig, and Hoxton Ventures. Kim has more […]
Drivers in Bucharest lose, on average, 12 working days annually due to congestion, according to Traffic Index 2025, an analysis carried out by the Institute for Visionary Cities. The index compares how much circulation slows down on working days compared to a free-flow regime, for the 41 county seat municipalities and Bucharest. According to the analysis, […]
Romania’s Senate and Chamber of Deputies held a moment of silence on Monday, September 15, for American conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was shot dead at a university event on September 10. The marking of Kirk’s death came at the initiative of the far-right party Alliance for the Union of Romanians, or AUR. Both Kirk […]
A mountain shelter is scheduled to open this fall in the Făgăraș Mountains' Curmătura Bratilei area following a EUR 60,000 investment. The shelter, located at an altitude of 2,100 meters, is built by the private ophthalmopediatric hospital Infosan in partnership with the non-profit Carpați Mountain Association and the Brașov Emergency Situations Inspectorate (ISU Brașov). The […]
The official trailer for The Yellow Tie/Cravata Galbenă, a major international production about the life of renowned Romanian conductor Sergiu Celibidache, has been released, with the film set to hit cinemas nationwide on November 14. The cast includes John Malkovich and Miranda Richardson, both double Academy Award nominees, along with Ben Schnetzer, Kate Phillips, Sean […]
The presidential elections held in November 2024 in Romania were influenced by a large-scale hybrid war orchestrated by Russia before they were cancelled, according to general prosecutor Alex Florența. Romania’s presidential election was annulled last December after declassified reports alleged Russian involvement in cyber activities aimed at undermining the integrity...
