POLITICS
-Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca said in the city of Suceava on Wednesday that the Romanian officials do not take into account any “gloomy scenario” regarding the provision of natural gas and electricity for the next winter season, as Romania can secure most of its energy demand from internal sources.
-Energy Minister Virgil Popescu said on Wednesday at a news briefing following a government sitting that Romania will not have problems with electricity or natural gas this winter.
ECONOMY
-Private lending increased by 16.8% to RON358.1 billion in July 2022 y-o-y as local currency lending grew 18% and foreign currency lending expressed in lei by 13.9%, National Bank of Romania data showed on Wednesday.
-Labor productivity in industry fell, in the first half of 2022, by 1.1% y-o-y, National Institute of Statistics (INS) data showed.
-In the period January-May 2022, Romania has exported electricity worth 450 million euro, up 182.4% y-o-y, INS data showed. The biggest exports of electricity were registered in January (104.5 million euro) and the lowest in April (71.5 million euro).
COMPANIES & MARKET
-Romania’s National Consumer Protection Authority (ANPC) sanctioned 265 discount retailer chain Lidl stores with fines totalling over RON 3.5 million and closed some of them for several irregularities.
-Construction of subway line connecting Bucharest to Otopeni airport will begin in March-April. Bids for the design and execution of the second part of the line can be submitted by the beginning of next month, Ionel Scrioșteanu, an official within the Transportation Ministry, told Economedia.
