Economic growth will continue to ease in 2020 and 2021, the European Commission estimates
Romania reported an economic growth of 3.9% in 2019, compared to 4.4% in 2018, the European Commission winter economic forecast shows. Published on Thursday, the report reveals that Romania's economic growth will continue to ease in 2020 and 2021. Compared to the previous forecast published in November, the European Commission has revised slightly upwards its economic forecast for Romania, considering that last autumn the estimated economic growth for 2020 was 3.6% and 3.3% for 2021. Right now, the Commission estimates a growth of 3.8% this year and 3.5% next year. Of the 27 Member States, only Malta will report an economic growth above Romania. The Commission recalls that real GDP growth declined from a post-crisis peak of 7.1%
in 2017 to 4.4% in 2018 and is expected to have moderated to 3.9% in 2019. Real GDP growth is forecast to remain robust this year and the next, while the significant fiscal stimulus planned in 2020 and 2021 is expected to give a new boost to private consumption while also stimulating imports, the Commission also says. Investment is expected to remain strong in 2020, supported by construction and greater use of EU investment funds. The reversal in early 2020 of measures introduced in December 2018 concerning the taxation of the banking and energy sectors is expected to favor private investment, the Commission further notes. At the same time, the European Commission estimates inflation to continue to shrink in Romania, from an average of 3.9% in 2019 to 3.4% in 2020 and 3.3% in 2021. The European Commission warns that the fiscal policy stance will be a key determinant of the evolution of economic growth in 2020 and 2021. A continuation of expansionary fiscal policies aggravating existing macroeconomic imbalances could affect investors' confidence and lead to higher funding costs. Conversely, the start of much needed fiscal consolidation would contribute to the unwinding of the accumulated imbalances but would also result in somewhat lower economic growth over the forecast horizon, the winter forecast for Romania also reads. More legislative unpredictability or rapidly deteriorating fiscal deficit could also affect the business environment in Romania and have a detrimental effect on investment decisions. As regards the Eurozone and the European Union, the Commission announced Eurozone's GDP growth is bound to remain stable at 1.2%, both in 2020 and 2021. Over the same interval, the EU's growth is estimated to slow down slightly to 1.4%.
(Translated by V. Palcu)
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