Investments in Romania have increased 9.2%

Investments in Romania's economy last year amounted to 64.529 billion lei, up 9.2% over the previous year, according to a press release of the National Statistics Institute (INS). Of that amount, the money spent on the construction of facilities, amounted to 49.5% of the total (31.913 billion lei), whereas spending on machinery and means of transportation amounted to 26.305 billion lei (40.8%), according to the press release. The remaining amount, 6.31 billion lei, represented other types of expenses, the document mentions. Compared to last year, the weight of new investments in construction fell from 51.2%, whereas the weight of investments in equipment and means of transportation increased from 38.4%, the INS informs.

The highest increase over 2010, of 18.6%, was seen by investments in equipment and means of transportation, whereas spending on new construction increased 2.5%, the press release states.

The areas which attracted the highest investments last year are the industry (42.8%) trade and services (33.4%), according to the press release. Agriculture only attracted 2.4% of the investments made in 2011, according to the National Statistics Institute.

In Q4 2011, investments amounted to 24.878 billion lei, up 22.1% over the similar period of 2010, according to the press release. Spending on equipment and means of transportation saw the largest advance, of 35.4%, whereas investments in new constructions increased 14.5%, according to the National Statistics Institute.

The weights of the two categories followed a similar trend over the entire duration 2011: 46.6% at the end of 2011, compared to 48.4% over the similar period of 2010, in the case of new constructions, and 42.7% in Q4 2011, from 39.9% at the end of 2010, the press release also shows.