Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca and Brașov are the most expensive cities in
Romania. At the other end of the classification, there are Miercurea
Ciuc, Alexandria and Bistrița, according to a study that took into
account prices of basic food products, house rents and the level of
salaries in August. This top as a whole is directed by the economic
activity in the region, which can be seen in the purchasing power and,
at the same time, in the zonal availability of goods. In the case of
tomatoes, for instance, the lowest prices were in Slobozia, Brăila and
Buzău, areas where these vegetables are grown, with RON 3 per kilogram.
Moreover, milk was the cheapest in Piatra Neamț, Târgu Jiu and Reșița.
The difference also comes from the products’ availability and from the
shorter supply chains.
Potential projects in the wind (terrestrial and marine), solar and
hydro power sectors at global level could help reduce emissions
considerably and could create 10 million jobs and generate economic
growth worth about USD 1.9 trillion dollars, according to an EY study
conducted in 47 countries, including Romania. The survey also shows
that Romania could recover over 60% of the GDP loss generated by the
pandemic and could create about 1,000 jobs per 1 million inhabitants,
through renewable energy investment projects.
BCR announced on Monday that it had supplemented the ceiling available
within the SME Invest program by RON 400 million. 1,400 companies have
attracted financing through SME Invest from BCR, worth about RON 1.2
billion, this year. The top of sectors to have received financing is
led by trade (24%), constructions and building materials (15%),
transport (14%), production (10%), consumer products and services (7%).
Private lending grew by 13.4% in September compared to the first nine
months of 2020, the total balance having reached RON 314.5 billion,
following an 18.5% increase in RON-denominated loans and a 2.3% advance
of foreign currency-denominated loans, expressed in RON, according to
data transmitted by NBR on Monday. Private lending growth rate was
12.8% in August, 12.6% in July, and 11.2% in June year-on-year. In real
terms, the balance of loans was up 6.7% in September year-on-year, amid
an 11.4% advance of the RON-denominated component and a 0.7% increase
in the foreign currency-denominated component, if the indicator is
expressed in euro.
Deposits of non-government resident clients grew by 0.6% in September
2021 compared to the previous month, to RON 452.453 billion, and by
13.9% (7.2% in real terms) compared to September 2020, according to the
data published by the National Bank of Romania yesterday. Residents’
deposits in RON, representing 64.4% of total deposits of non-government
clients, decreased by 0.1% compared to August 2021, to RON 291.278
billion, and increased by 13.8% (7.1% in real terms) year-on-year.
Households’ RON-denominated deposits fell by 0.1% month-on-month, to
RON 158.187 billion, and were up 11.4% (4.8% in real terms) against
September 2020.
Softronic from Craiova, the only plant manufacturing electric trains
and locomotives in Eastern Europe, controlled by four Romanian
entrepreneurs, has contracted EUR 4.5 million financing from Garanti
BBVA Romania for the construction of two electric locomotives.
According to Garanti BBVA Romania’s Deputy CEO, Cagri Memişoglu, the
recently granted financing is the third one in the history of the
Garanti BBVA - Softronic banking relationship, after two other loans
had been granted in 2014 and 2018, for green projects as well.
Barleta factory in Bacău, which manufactures paper bags and sacks for
large supermarket chains, fast food chains or bakery producers, will
invest EUR 4 million in order to increase its production capacity by
adding three more production lines. Moreover, the company plans to
double its storage capacity to 7,000 square meters. The Barleta factory
also estimates a 7% higher turnover in 2021, to EUR 20 million.
Courier company DPD Romania announced on Monday that it had invested
over EUR 2 million in infrastructure, in order to keep up with the huge
volume of parcels, given that the new restrictions imposed due to the
fourth pandemic wave will lead to record Black Friday deliveries. This
year, Black Friday will be held in Romania on 12 November, and courier
companies’ representatives say that e-commerce will explode.
The personnel in educational units risk being fined if they claim sums
or other patrimonial benefits from students, directly or indirectly,
according to a draft law initiated by USR and AUR parliamentarians, and
tacitly adopted by the Senate on Monday. Failure to comply with these
provisions shall be sanctioned with a fine between RON 1,000 and RON
2,000, and the contravention shall be acknowledged and the fines shall
be applied by the police officers or agents from the Home Affairs
Ministry, with competences in the field, upon receiving complaints from
students, parents or teachers, auxiliary teachers or non-teaching
staff, the draft normative act also stipulates.
In February 2021, the European Commission published its proposal to
revise the so-called “EU Roaming Regulation”. The proposal’s main goal
is to prolong the Roam-Like-at-Home regime – which ended retail roaming
surcharges within the European Economic Area – beyond its expiry date
of June 2022. The European Parliament adopted its position in a plenary
session last week. This means that the two co-legislators are now ready
to enter into inter-institutional negotiations to agree on a common
final text.
The Ministry of Health announced, on Monday, 25 October, the signing of
a contract for 10,000 doses of monoclonal antibodies that will arrive
in Romania in the first week of November. The medicines will be
distributed to healthcare units immediately, in order to be
administered to COVID-19 patients in the first days after the onset of
symptoms, the Ministry of Health indicated.
Considering that the Ministry of Education has decided to suspend
classes for two weeks in an attempt to limit infection cases in
schools, the National Council of Students considers that the situation
is unacceptable as the Romanian Government continues to be incoherent
in statements and measures, and lacks any clear and assumed vision. As
a result, the Council’s representatives have called for the urgent
amendment of the government decision, in order to regulate a wider area
of measures that would limit the spread of COVID-19.