The first meeting in 2024 of the General Board of the National Committee for Macroprudential Oversight (NCMO) was held on 28 March 2024. During the meeting, Board members examined analyses and adopted measures concerning macroprudential policy and systemic risk, namely: (i) the regular analysis on the recalibration of the countercyclical capital buffer and (ii) the draft Annual Report of the National Committee for Macroprudential Oversight for 2023. The NCMO General Board was informed of: (i) the actions taken by the addressees in order to implement the recommendations issued by the NCMO in 2023, as well as those issued in the previous period; (ii) the calendar for implementing measures domestically in view of the ESRB recommendations; (iii) the systemic risks to financial stability identified by member authorities as per their specific area of competence; (iv) the risks generated by the commercial real estate market; (v) the financing of companies and households, and (vi) the credit institutions’ compliance with the minimum requirement for own funds and eligible liabilities (MREL) as at the reference date of 1 January 2024 (the end of the transition period laid down in the European framework), which shall be further met on a permanent basis. The NCMO General Board approved NCMO Recommendation No. R/1/2024 on the countercyclical capital buffer. Specifically, the buffer rate is kept at 1 percent, in order to adequately manage cyclical systemic risks, inter alia amid the regional or global geopolitical uncertainties. The decision is further warranted, given that the banking sector’s liquidity and solvency levels are adequate, and profitability allows maintaining the capital reserves. This line of action is consistent with the European trend in the macroprudential field, by proactively using the instruments available to the authorities for strengthening the resilience of credit institutions, inter alia by applying, in a forward-looking manner, a positive rate of the countercyclical capital buffer. The NCMO recommendation and decisions were unanimously approved by the NCMO General Board. The NCMO was established by virtue of Law No. 12/2017 on the macroprudential oversight of the national financial system, thus ensuring that Recommendation of the European Systemic Risk Board (ESRB) No. 3/2011 on the macroprudential mandate of national authorities was implemented. The NCMO brings together representatives of the National Bank of Romania, the Financial Supervisory Authority and the Government of Romania. The NCMO’s mission is to ensure coordination in the field of macroprudential oversight of the national financial system by setting the macroprudential policy and the appropriate instruments for its implementation.
Romania’s Superior Council of Magistracy (CSM) issued a negative opinion on the new bill regarding magistrates’ pensions. The move is only the latest development concerning a heated issue that led to tensions between the executive and the judiciary branch. CSM’s opinion is consultative, and the government led by Ilie Bolojan can still take responsibility for […]
Romania took the presidency of the Central European Initiative (or CEI) on Wednesday, November 26, according to a press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE). The organization is a regional intergovernmental forum established in 1989, following the fall of the Berlin Wall. It gathers 17 Member States in Central, Eastern, and South-Eastern Europe […]
Trade between Romania and Poland continues to grow, with annual bilateral exchanges in goods now valued at more than EUR 12 billion, according to figures presented by the Polish-Romanian Bilateral Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PRBCC). The data was released during a reception in Bucharest marking Poland’s Independence Day and Romania’s National Day. Polish investments […]
As Romania moves closer to implementing the EU Pay Transparency Directive, local employers are preparing for one of the most consequential shifts in workplace regulation in over a decade. The directive, set for transposition by June 2026, introduces strict new rules on salary disclosure, pay reporting, and equal-pay verification, aiming to close persistent gender gaps […]
A young Romanian has developed a new system that allows people to return entire bags of recyclable packaging at once, replacing the traditional method of inserting bottles one by one into reverse-vending machines. The concept, called IZI, was created by Ștefan Parascanu, who returned to Romania after studying and working in the United Kingdom. The […]
JTI, the global owner of both Winston and Camel, announced on Thursday, November 27, a plan to build a new, state-of-the-art factory in Ștefăneștii de Jos, Ilfov County. Designed to replace the current Bucharest production site, which is operating under space constraints, the facility is scheduled for completion in 2027. Ground works at the new […]
