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The retail sales volume index in Romania increased by 3.5% y/y in Q1, less than half of the outstanding growth rates in 2024 (+8.6% y/y), according to the statistics office INS. Slower disinflation and comparatively modest wage hikes contributed.  The food sales dropped by 2.0% y/y in Q1 (+3.8% y/y in 2024), but the non-food…

Regardless of the outcome of the presidential elections in Romania, policymaking would become more fragmented, less stable, and less effective over the next few months, S&P Global told Reuters. “(This) could lead to weaker growth, fiscal, and external outcomes than our already pessimistic assumptions,” the rating agency said. S&P Global said its post-election scenarios included…

In an attempt to demonstrate the support he enjoys from the US administration in his race for the Romanian presidency, far-right candidate George Simion claimed that the Homeland Security Department had congratulated him after his win in the first round, according to G4media.ro. Simion, the leader of AUR, also thanked the US for taking Romania…

After initially seeming to back Romanian isolationist presidential candidate George Simion for the presidential elections in Romania, along a common geopolitical orientation, Hungary’s prime minister Viktor Orban admitted that the Hungarian party in Romania (UDMR) – which already opted firmly against Simion – has the final word on this matter.  This is important for the…

Thousands of people took to the streets in Romania this past weekend, participating in pro-European and pro-democracy rallies held in Bucharest and major cities across the country. The demonstrations took place one week before the second round of the presidential elections, scheduled for May 18. On Friday, Europe Day, crowds gathered in Bucharest’s University Square…

The Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, Daniel, congratulated Pope Leo XIV for succeeding Pope Francis on Thursday, May 8. He expressed confidence that the new pope will continue to promote “the spirit of dialogue, peace, and cooperation between the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church.” “In a world facing multiple spiritual, economic, and…

The organizers of the Untold festival announced they will offer a RON 150 (EUR 30) voucher toward the purchase of a festival pass to anyone who votes on May 18, during the second round of the presidential elections. In an online message, Untold representatives emphasized the connection between civic participation and the future of every…

The Open Streets program, which sees the city’s major arteries close for car traffic and become pedestrian areas, returns this weekend with a program of exhibitions, concerts, and a Festival of Lights. On Saturday, May 10, at 2:00 p.m., the public is invited to the Made in Romania exhibition, which presents a selection of civilian…

Joseph Stiglitz, the famous economist and professor at Columbia University in New York, and winner of the Nobel Prize in economy in 2001, told an audience in Cluj, Romania, that governments must stimulate exports and key sectors when facing deficits.  Stiglitz was in Romania on Thursday, May 8, to receive the title of Doctor Honoris…

The Constitutional Court unanimously validated on Friday, May 9, the results of the first round of the presidential elections.  It also rejected as unfounded a request to annul the elections filed by Sebastian-Constantin Popescu, the presidential candidate of the New Romania Party, it announced. The runoff, set for May 18, will see ultranationalist leader George…