Romania’s trade deficit shrinks by 10.3% y/y in 12 months to May

13 July 2026 Romania’s trade deficit shrank by 5.3% y/y to EUR 2.6 billion in May, as imports remained constrained by subdued domestic consumption, according to data published by the statistics office INS. But the impetus of the trade gap narrowing is losing momentum as the effects of the fiscal and regulatory measures implemented in mid-2025 are phasing off and the ailing economic activity fails to support exports in volume terms. In May alone, exports increased by 4.5% y/y, more than twice as much as the imports (+1.9% y/y). In the 12 months to May, Romania’s trade deficit narrowed by 10.3% y/y to EUR 31.9 billion, or some 8.3% of GDP, down from 9.8% of GDP in the previous 12-month period. This was due to a moderate 0.3% y/y nominal advance of imports (EUR 129.4 billion) and a stronger 4