June 2024, the balance-of-payments current account posted a deficit of EUR 12,176 million, compared with EUR 9,087 million in January – June 2023, the National Bank of Romania (BNR) reported on Tuesday.

The deficit on trade in goods widened by EUR 1,868 million, the surplus on services fell by EUR 1,064 million, the primary income deficit widened by EUR 603 million, while the secondary income surplus grew by EUR 446 million.

In January – June 2024, total external debt increased by EUR 6,774 million to EUR 176,857 million, of which: long-term external debt at end-June 2024 ran at EUR 130,662 million (73.9% of total external debt), up 7.3% against end-2023; short-term external debt at end-June 2024 amounted to EUR 46,195 million (26.1% of total external debt), down 4.4% from end-2023.

Long-term external debt service ratio stood at 16.4%in June 2024 as against 16.7% in 2023. At end-June 2024, goods and services import cover ran at 6.1 months, as compared to 5.6 months at end-2023.

At end-June 2024, the ratio of the National Bank of Romania’s foreign exchange reserves to short-term external debt by remaining maturity came in at 110.0%, as against 96.3% at end-2023.

AGERPRES