♦ The decrease in consumption (minus 1.6% in December, but over 4% in October and November) inhibited imports, which in December decreased by 0.4%, while exports increased by 9.4%.
In 2025, Romania had exports of 96.6 billion euros and imports of 129.3 billion euros. The trade deficit was 32.7 billion euros (equivalent to 8.6% of the estimated GDP) but decreased by 2% compared to 2024 as a result of the advance of exports, for the whole year, by 4.2%, while imports increased by 2.6%.
It is a significant change compared to 2024 when exports decreased by 0.4%, while imports advanced by 3.3%, which indicated, at the time, that the money, or part of it, entering the commercial circuit after increasing pensions by 40% and wages by 25% rather fueled imports and did not stimulate domestic production, as hoped. In fact, 2024 was a lesson that reminded us that if the demand does not meet the offer, then the consumer will look elsewhere for what he cannot find at home. The trade deficit was lower last year by 673 million lei compared to 2024. It is a 2% reduction, small, but it is a reduction and if the trend were to be maintained, then things would go in a good direction. But everything depends on the economy, its structure and, of course, policies that must be aimed at stimulating exports. But there is a long way to go before this deficit is significantly reduced, and it is even more difficult for Romania to reach a surplus, as Poland did. For that, the whole structure of the economy should be changed. Because the problem is not that Romania exports little – as the economy grew, the exports by volume were higher and higher. It's just that Romania exports cheaply and imports expensively. It has become folklore that we export wheat and import frozen bread. If we stay with the food sector, the increase in exports in this segment was spectacular in 2025. Food exports increased by 12.7%, and imports decreased by 1.1%. But, nominally, the deficit was 4 billion euros. And, further, all the shops remain full of apples brought from Poland.
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