Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan said that 2026 would be a year for economic adjustment, with the effects expected to become visible in the second half of the year, based on measures already adopted and those to be implemented in the coming period, especially in the energy and economic sectors.
He thus responded to a question related to Romania's entry into technical recession, according to data released by the National Institute of Statistics (INS).
"These measures inevitably lead to economic contraction, regardless of the sector concerned. This is the reality we are facing. However, these measure, like any treatment applied in case of illness, sometimes have side effects. If you take strong antibiotics you also need to take some probiotics so as not to harm your stomach. Of course, I am speaking, in simplistic medical terms. What happens next, according to the trends we can already observe, is a rebalancing of the economy. The import component has decreased slightly, which should allow the exports component to grow, followed by economic readjustment. Also, this year, with a key objective being to maintain a significant volume of investments - half of it financed from European funds - will be one of economic adjustment," Ilie Bolojan told radio Europa FM on Friday.
He stressed that Romania's current situation - namely the technical recession - is a temporary one.
'Expectations are that in the coming period, once the state budget is finalised and all measures are concluded - some related to public administration, including staff reductions and restructuring, others linked to recovery measures and the corrections we need to make in the energy sector and in several strategic areas - by the second half of the year these side effects will already have been absorbed by the economy and we will return to economic growth, with inflation set to decline,' Bolojan said.
The prime minister was asked whether economic growth would resume from June.
'I believe that in the second half of this year we will see things settle. Through the measures already taken and those we will adopt in the coming period, particularly in the energy and economic sectors, we will restore balance and create the conditions, as I said, for economic growth, prosperity and greater predictability for the Romanian economy,' Bolojan said.
Romania's economy grew by 0.6% in 2025, but gross domestic product (GDP) fell by 1.9% in the fourth quarter compared with the third quarter of 2025, according to flash data published on Friday by the National Institute of Statistics. This marked the second consecutive quarter of contraction, indicating that the economy has entered a technical recession.
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