Romania posts EU's fastest economic growth in Q4 2017 (Eurostat)

With an advance of 7 percent in Q 4 2017 compared to the similar period of 2016, Romania saw the fastest annual GDP growth in the EU for the interval October - December 2017, shows an Eurostat flash estimate released this Wednesday.

By comparison, the seasonally adjusted GDP rose 2.7 percent in the euro area from the same quarter of the previous year and the EU28 GDP growth was 2.6 pct.

Eurostat data however points to a slowdown of the Romanian economy in Q4 2017 to 7 percent after 8.5 percent in Q3.

Eurostat data is in line with the figures previously announced by the National Institute of Statistics according to which Romania's economy increased 7 percent in 2017 compared to the previous year, and in Q4 2017 the yearly advance of the GDP slowed down to 6.9 pct (raw series) from 8.8 pct in Q3. Compared to the third quarter of 2017, Romania's economy was up 0.6 percent in the last three months of the year.

Eurostat points out, however, that the figures presented in this release may be revised with the GDP and main aggregates estimate scheduled for March 7, 2018. AGERPRES (RO - author: Constantin Balaban, editor: Andreea Marinescu; EN - author: Simona Klodnischi, editor: Adina Panaitescu)