Following a strong rebound in 2021, the global economy is entering a pronounced slowdown amid fresh threats from COVID-19 variants and a rise in inflation, debt, and income inequality that could endanger the recovery in emerging and developing economies, according to the World Bank’s latest Global Economic Prospects report. Romania’s economy has advanced by 6.3% in 2021 and will grow by 4.3% this year and 3.8% in 2023, according to the latest edition of the World Bank’s Global Economic Prospects. Last year’s advance was revised upward from 6% projected in June, with the forecast for 2022 and 2023 revised downward accordingly. Overall, WB’s scenario is only marginally less optimistic than Government’s assumptions. In Central Europe - a region including Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland and Croatia besides Romania - growth is forecast to moderate alongside the euro area, from 5.7% in 2021 to 4.7% in 2022 and 3.7% in 2023. Although activity is likely to be disrupted in the near term from the spread of the Omicron variant, the subregional economy will benefit from firming domestic demand over the forecast horizon. In particular, investment and government revenues are expected to be bolstered by funding from the European Union (EU) Recovery and Resilience Facility - the largest component of the Next Generation EU funds. If fully implemented as planned by end-2026, these reforms and investments could help lift productivity by narrowing the digital divide and accelerating technological adoption. Measures that improve administrative capacity and governance could help boost the absorption of these funds in Central Europe.
Romania has reached a purchasing power per capita of EUR 11,105, approximately 45% below the European average – a figure that places the country in 31st place in the European top, according to the "NIQ Purchasing Power Europe 2025" study. Compared to 2024, Romania moved up one position in the NIQ ranking. Comparatively, at a […]
Ionuț Costea, former head of EximBank, and Sebastian Vlădescu, former finance minister, were released on November 5 following an extraordinary prescription procedure, according to a statement from Romania's High Court of Cassation and Justice (ICCJ). The two had been sentenced in 2023 to six and seven years in prison, respectively, for taking a EUR 5.5 […]
Prime minister Ilie Bolojan, who also serves as president of the Liberal Party (PNL), stated on November 4 that, at the meeting of the party's National Political Bureau the same day, support was renewed for resolving the issue related to special (magistrates') pensions this month, but also for the reform in public administration, according to
Knauf Insulation Romania, the local subsidiary of a division of the German group Knauf, has officially inaugurated its new glass mineral wool factory in Târnăveni, Mureș County, after an investment of EUR 140 million, for which the company also received EUR 18 million in state aid. "Our factory in Târnăveni, equipped with state-of-the-art technology, has […]
Corden BioChem, an expert in industrial biotechnology, could resume production at the bioethanol factory it took over from Swiss Clariant in southern Romania (or "Lesser Wallachia" as indicated by the company) at Podari, after the Competition Council authorised the takeover of the steam and electricity supplier. The company announced on its website that the Podari […]
Romania’s general government budget deficit can drop below 6.5% of GDP next year, possibly approaching 6% of GDP, to further drop below 5% of GDP if the tax evasion and tax avoidance are addressed, the head of the Fiscal Council, Daniel Daianu, said, speaking in a conference organised by Curs de Guvernare, as reported by […]
