Romanian exports remained solid in the last month of last year, registering an advance of 9.4% as compared to the same month of 2015 so that Romania ended the year with a record level of exports of EUR 57.4 billion, up by 5.1% against 2015, preliminary data released on Thursday by the National Statistics Institute (INS) reveal.
Exports rose by 9.4% as compared to December 2015 to EUR 4.3 billion, while the imports advanced by 7.5% to EUR 5.5 billion.
The evolution in December comes after three months in a row with exports exceeding EUR 5 billion.
Trade deficit in December 2016 was of EUR 1.185 billion, slightly higher, up by EUR 14 million against December 2015.
Following these developments, in 2016 the FOB exports increased by 5.1% as compared to the same period last year, to EUR 57.39 billion, while imports rose by 7% to EUR 67.34 billion.
The trade deficit in 2016 was of EUR 9.96 billion, up by 19% against 2015, the growth rate significantly dropping against to the first half.
Romania exported in December 2016 goods worth EUR 3.06 billion to the EU, i.e. 70.9% of the total, and imported EUR 4.14 billion from 27 EU Member States, i.e. 75 3% of total imports.
The trade with countries outside the EU – Romania remained on deficit in December 2016. In the last month of last year, the exports outside the EU were of EUR 1.25 billion, up by 5% as compared to December 2015, lower than the imports which reached EUR 1.35 billion (+12.9%).
Main traded products: machines and equipments (47% in exports, 38% in imports), manufactures goods (32.4% and 31% respectively), agrifood products (8.4% and 8.7% respectively), chemical products (4.3% and 13.5% respectively).