Southeast Europe / Data
Kosovo trade deficit widens 16.1% to €578.3mn in June
Kosovo's trade deficit widened 16.1% year on year to €578.3mn in June as imports reached €680.3mn against exports of €102mn, leaving export coverage of imports at 15%.
Albania new business registrations rise 7.5% in first half, foreign-owned firms up 35.7%
Albania registered 11,567 new businesses in the first half of 2026, up 7.5% y/y, with fully foreign-owned company registrations jumping 35.7% to 1,240. Real estate led sectoral growth at 35.8%, while Tirana took over half of all new entities.
Moldova’s manufacturing reaches four-year high after 6.2% y/y growth in January-May
Moldova's industrial production increased by 7.3% y/y in January-May, driven by a 6.2% expansion in the core manufacturing sector and a 14.7% rise in utilities output, new data says.
Romania’s real net wages stay low since mid-2025
Accelerating inflation pushed real wages down by 6.9% y/y in May, the sharpest annual decline in purchasing power in the past decade.
Prices fall in Moldova in June, but annual inflation remains at 6.5%
Despite the monthly easing, annual inflation remained elevated, with transport, energy and several food categories continuing to drive price pressures.
Romania’s consumer prices flat in June ahead of expected disinflation
The figures leave inflation poised for a sharp decline in the coming months as favourable base effects begin to take hold.
Serbia's central bank holds key rate at 5.75% amid global uncertainty
NBS says inflation remains within its target range but uncertainty stemming from global geopolitical tensions and commodity prices warrants a cautious monetary policy stance.
EU remains main export market for Moldova’s pro-Russian separatist Transnistria
Between January and June, 76.9% of Transnistria's exports were shipped to EU member states.
Romania keeps policy rate at 6.5% amid ‘very high uncertainty’
BNR cited "very high uncertainties" surrounding the economic outlook and stressed the need for a balanced macroeconomic policy mix to preserve stability.
EBRD says bad-loan ratio in emerging Europe falls to record low
Average NPL ratio declined to a historic low of 1.86% at the end of 2025 as lending growth outpaced the increase in impaired loans.
Romania’s M&A market grows almost 50% y/y to $6bn in H1
Acquisitions of Carrefour Romania, Evryo Group and Garanti BBVA Romania were the three largest transactions, according to the latest EY Romania - Parthenon analysis.
Bulgarian Stock Exchange turnover nearly doubles after euro entry
Jump points to the effect of euro adoption on Bulgaria's capital market, with market participants viewing the switch as reducing currency risk and drawing greater foreign investor participation in local assets.
Bulgaria remains EU’s cheapest country even as price gap narrows
Institute for Market Economics says Bulgaria’s price convergence with the EU average has accelerated since the pandemic, driven by stronger economic growth, rising household incomes and elevated inflation.
Poll shows majority of Serbians think country is on wrong track
The findings published as President Aleksandar Vucic faces persistant of anti-government protests and growing scrutiny over the state of Serbia's democratic institutions ahead of possible early elections later this year.
Bulgaria records EU’s sharpest fuel price rise in May
Fuel prices rose in all EU member states, with the steepest increases recorded in Bulgaria, Luxembourg, Lithuania and Romania.
Serbia property market value jumps 14% to record €2bn in Q1
The figure is the highest value for a first quarter since the Real Estate Price Register was established.
Pro-EU sentiment remains strong across Eastern Partnership countries, but divides widen
Public support for European Union membership remains robust across much of the EU’s eastern neighbourhood, with Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova showing particularly high levels of trust and optimism.
Moldova’s GDP growth eases to 0.4% y/y in Q1 on softer domestic demand
Growth is expected to decelerate to 2% in 2026, as the conflict in the Middle East and spillovers from Russia’s attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure weigh on activity.
North Macedonia raises key interest rate to 4.25%
Inflation remains elevated, with increasing pressures from energy prices and core inflation pointing to continued upside risks.
Romania’s industrial output falls 3.0% y/y in April despite two-month recovery
The downturn was more pronounced in the core manufacturing sector, where output fell by 4.0% y/y.