Romania’s trade with Germany shrinks by some 13% this year

The volume of trade between Romania and its biggest trade partner - Germany - decreased by 13.4% in January-September 2020 compared to the same period last year, to EUR 21.3 billion, in the context of the current coronavirus crisis, according to data presented by the Romanian-German Chamber of Commerce (AHK Romania).

Germany's exports to Romania went down by 8.8%, to EUR 11.5 bln in the first nine months of the year. Meanwhile, Romania's exports to Germany dropped by 18%, to EUR 9.8 bln.

Thus, Romania recorded a deficit of EUR 1.7 bln in its trade with Germany. The trend will predictably continue for the rest of the year, AHK Romania's statement reads.

"We expect a decrease in bilateral trade by the same percentage for the whole year 2020, which means that instead of EUR 33 bln in 2019, the volume of bilateral trade will be EUR 28 bln this year. The future evolution of the Romanian-German trade relations largely depends on the way and, especially, on how fast the German economy will recover," says Sebastian Metz, the general director of AHK.

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