The inflation rate slowed to 4.56% at the end of November, from 4.96% in the twelve months through October.
Monthly inflation was roughly unchanged, held steady by lower prices in the non-food and services sectors. Food items were 0.3% costlier on the month in November.
Romanians paid by 1.5% less for fuels in November compared with a month earlier, while postal and telecom tariffs were cheaper by 0.6%, INS data showed.
In the food sector, egg prices went up 8.1% on the month, while the cost of edible oil increased by 1.5%. However, fresh and canned vegetables were by 0.85% less expensive in November.
Romania’s harmonized index of consumer prices, or HICP, inched up to 3.3% at the end of November, from 3.2% the month before.
The central bank targets an annual inflation of 3% at the end of 2012, plus/minus one percentage point around the band.
Last month, the bank revised upward its forecast on the year-end inflation to 5.1% in December, from 3.2% previously, citing increased capital flow volatility and a possible deterioration of the external environment.
The annual rate is expected to stay above the central bank’s target range until the second half of 2013.