In 2022, Romania’s foreign trade saw a 26pct increase compared to the previous year, to the value of 218.1 billion euros, a record year in terms of Romania’s trade relations Iuliu Stocklosa, the president of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the City of Bucharest (CCIB), told a specialist forum on Thursday, according to Agerpres.

„The total figure of Romania’s foreign trade stood at 218.1 billion euros in 2022, an increase of 26pct compared to 2021, with exports registering 92 billion euros – an increase of 23pct, and imports reaching 126 billion euro, up by 28pct. This was a record year from the point of view of Romania’s trade, both on the import and export side. The average of Romanian exports exceeded 7.6 billion euros and, also, for the first time in the history of Romanian foreign trade, exports in a single month, and we are talking about September, exceeded 8.5 billion euros. These are impressive figures, but we also have some figures that put us at a disadvantage, as a country,” the CCIB official mentioned.

According to him, as less favourable points, Romania’s export ranks 15th out of the 27 member states of the European Union (EU).

„Less favourable aspects in 2022: Romania’s export ranks only 15th among the 27 states of the European Union, and the trade balance deficit is 34.1 billion euros, a record. Last year it was only 23.7 billion euros, according to Eurostat. Only France, with a deficit of 190 billion euros, Spain, with a deficit of 71 billion euros, and Greece, with a deficit of 38 billion euros, recorded higher values than Romania in terms of trade balance at the end of last year. Due to the negative net export recorded year after year, the volume of the import of goods and services exceeding export, Romania’s foreign trade has a negative contribution to the GDP growth, which in 2022 was a plus 4.8pct. According to Eurostat data, Romania ranks 6th among the member states of the European Union in terms of population, 8th in terms of surface area, but only 15th by the value of its exports. We hope that Romanian exports will grow in the future and let us enter the elite of economically strong exporting countries,” said Iuliu Stocklosa.

Data from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) show that, currently, Romania has diplomatic relations with 188 countries.

Representatives of the authorities, chambers of commerce and academia participate, on Thursday, in the 2nd edition of the Economic Diplomacy and Exporters’ Forum, an event organized in Bucharest.

Agerpres