In January – April 2013p, the balance-of-payments current account posted a surplus of EUR 54 million as compared with a deficit of EUR 1,534 million in the first four months of 2012, due to the decrease in trade balance and income deficits (by EUR 975 million and EUR 200 million respectively) and to services going into surplus (EUR 721 million1, from a deficit of EUR 130 million).
- EUR million -
| |
January - April 2012p |
January - April 2013p |
| CREDIT |
DEBIT |
NET |
CREDIT |
DEBIT |
NET |
| CURRENT ACCOUNT (A+B+C) |
19,602 |
21,136 |
-1,534 |
21,026 |
20,972 |
54 |
| A. Goods and services |
16,840 |
18,901 |
-2,061 |
18,724 |
18,959 |
-235 |
| a. Goods (exports fob – imports fob)* |
14,610 |
16,541 |
-1,931 |
15,666 |
16,622 |
-956 |
| b. Services |
2,230 |
2,360 |
-130 |
3,058 |
2,337 |
721 |
| - transport |
628 |
419 |
209 |
1,069 |
392 |
677 |
| - tourism-travel |
319 |
399 |
-80 |
336 |
423 |
-87 |
| - other |
1,283 |
1,542 |
-259 |
1,653 |
1,522 |
131 |
| B. Incomes |
425 |
1,299 |
-874 |
306 |
980 |
-674 |
| C. Current transfers |
2,337 |
936 |
1,401 |
1,996 |
1,033 |
963 |
p provisional data
1 Data for 2013 Q1 have been revised to incorporate the results of the first quarterly Survey on International Trade in Services (see Methodological Notes).
* Source: National Institute of Statistics (NIS) – International Trade of Goods. Imports FOB are calculated by the NBR based on the CIF/FOB conversion factor of 1.0430 set by the NIS.
Non-residents’ direct investment in Romania (estimates) totalled EUR 322 million (as compared with EUR 494 million in January-April 2012), of which intragroup loans amounted to EUR 191 million and equity stakes consolidated with the estimated net loss to EUR 131 million.
Medium- and long-term external debt at end-April 2013 stood at EUR 80,337 million (79.6 percent of total external debt), 2.1 percent above the level recorded at end-2012.
Short-term external debt at end-April 2013 totalled EUR 20,590 million (20.4 percent of total external debt), up 1.7 percent from end-2012.
Romania's external debt at end-April 2013*
and external debt service in January - April 2013
- EUR million -
| |
External debt |
External debt service
January - April 2013p |
| End-2012p |
End-April 2013p |
| I. Medium- and long-term external debt |
78,717 |
80,337 |
6,122 |
| I.1. Direct public debta) o/w: |
23,696 |
27,448 |
893 |
| I.1.1. IMF borrowings |
2,144 |
1,999 |
142 |
| I.2. Publicly guaranteed debtb) |
1,426 |
1,376 |
55 |
| I.3. Non-publicly guaranteed debt |
37,130 |
36,729 |
2,920 |
| I.4. Medium- and long-term deposits of non-residents |
7,810 |
6,969 |
1,443e |
| I.5. IMF borrowingsc) |
8,655 |
7,815 |
811 |
| II. Short-term external debt |
20,251 |
20,590 |
8,925e |
| Total external debt (I+II) |
98,968 |
100,927 |
15,047 |
*) The balance of external debt is cash-based (excluding unmatured accrued interest); the IMF’s SDR allocations are not included.
a) external loans taken directly by the Ministry of Public Finance and local governments in compliance with the legislation on public debt, including Government Emergency Ordinance No. 99/2009 ratifying the Stand-By Arrangement between Romania and the IMF;
b) external loans guaranteed by the Ministry of Public Finance and local governments in compliance with the legislation on public debt;
c) loans under the Stand-By Arrangement concluded with the IMF, excluding the amount received by the Ministry of Public Finance from the IMF according to Government Emergency Ordinance No. 99/2009 (item I.1.1. in the above table).
e - estimates p - provisional data
Medium- and long-term external debt service ratio ran at 32.7 percent in the first four months of 2013, against 33.5 percent in 2012. At end-April 2013, goods and services import cover stood at 7.6 months, as compared with 7.1 months at end-2012.
Methodological Notes
- According to the European and international statistical standards, starting with 2013, the National Bank of Romania, in co-operation with the National Institute of Statistics, has implemented a quarterly Survey on International Trade in Services, with the aim at directly collecting statistical data regarding international trade in services from resident reporting entities (institutions, enterprises, organisations, NGOs, associations etc.) that sell/buy international services to/from non-residents.
The data resulted from the Survey are used to revise the quarterly balance of services included in the balance-of-payments current account, which is compiled quarterly on the basis of the data on the international transactions reported by the credit institutions on own behalf, as well as on behalf of their clients.
- External debt service ratio is calculated as a ratio of medium- and long-term external debt service to exports of goods and services.
- Import cover is calculated as a ratio of the international reserves (foreign exchange + gold) at end of period to average monthly imports of goods and services for the period under review.
- Balance of payments data are updated on a monthly basis; updates are available in the Interactive database.