The primary income balance, which includes compensation of employees, investment income (direct investment, portfolio investment, other investment) and other primary income (taxes, subsidies), posted a deficit of EUR2.5 billion in January-September 2021, higher by EUR145 million from the same period in 2020.
The services balance recorded a surplus of EUR6.4 billion in the first nine months of 2021, slightly higher than EUR6.8 billion in the same period of 2020, with the transport segment holding the biggest share, with a surplus of EUR3 billion. The tourism-travel segment saw its deficit widening to EUR1.3 billion at the end of September 2021, compared with EUR1.1 billion at end-September 2020.
The secondary income balance, which includes current private transfers and transfers of the general government, reduced its surplus by EUR382 million to EUR817 million in the first nine months of 2021.
Foreign direct investment (FDI) stood at EUR5.27 billion in January-September 2021, compared with EUR1.67 billion in January-September 2020. Of total FDI, equity stakes (including estimated net reinvestment of earnings) amounted to EUR4.3 billion, while net intra-group lending stood at EUR896 million, the data showed.
Romania’s total external debt increased by EUR6.05 billion in January-September 2021, standing at EUR133.6 billion. Long-term debt stood at EUR97.8 billion at end-September 2021, accounting for 73.2% of total external debt, up 4.6% since December 31, 2020. Short-term debt stood at EUR35.8 billion end-September 2021, accounting for 26.8% of the total external debt, up 7.7% sine end-2020.