October 12, 2024
A roundup of local and international news.
Newsroom, 12.10.2024, 14:00
Rating. Standard & Poor’s has reconfirmed Romania’s government debt rating and stable outlook for the long and short term hard currency debt, the finance ministry in Bucharest said, explaining that the decision is the result of the moderate level of foreign and government debt and the solid growing economic outlook. Standard & Poor’s estimates that Romania’s economy will grow by 1.6% this year and by around 3% on average in the next 3 years. Finance minister Marcel Boloş said the confirmation of Romania’s rating is a positive signal that obliges the government to continue reforms, spend public funds more efficiently and reduce the pressure on the budget. In another move, Fitch Ratings confirmed Bucharest’s long term hard currency and local currency rating at BBB minus with a stable outlook. The Romanian capital city has around 2.2 million inhabitants and accounts for more than 30% of the country’s economy, while its level of wealth is almost three times the national average.
Survey. Romania has one of the highest levels of life satisfaction in Europe, according to Eurostat statistics. In a ranking of EU member states, Romania, which has a rating of 7.7 points out of a maximum of 10, is only outranked by Finland and shares its position with Slovenia, Austria and Belgium. The lowest satisfaction levels are recorded in Bulgaria, Greece and Latvia. In 2023, the EU average was 7.3 points.
Festival. Video mapping on historical buildings, multimedia installations and interactive experiences are some of the weekend’s attractions in Bucharest as part of the 8th edition of the Spotlight International Festival. The event brings together local and international participants whose creations are reconfiguring streets and buildings by means of light and colour. The Spotlight festival, which this year is headlined “Bucharest 565. Urban connections”, is focused on a complex theme that reflects the interaction between new media art and contemporary challenges, such as the devastating impact of global warming and the rescue of vulnerable species.
Football. The Romanian national football side are tonight facing Cyprus in Larnaca, in Nations League Group C2. Romania and Cyprus have so far played 13 times, with Romania winning 9 of the matches, while Cyprus won only once, in a friendly match. After their first two group matches, Romania have a maximum of points and lead the group which also includes Lithuania and Kosovo apart from Cyprus.
