Romania continues to post the highest inflation rate in the EU

Romania has maintained in March the first position in the European Union in terms of inflation, with an annual inflation rate of 4.2 percent measured by Harmonised Indices of Consumer Prices (HICP), Eurostat data showed on Wednesday.

Romania has posted the highest inflation rate in the EU for most of last year and in the first months of 2019.

“The highest annual rates were recorded in Romania (4.2 percent), Hungary (3.8 percent) and the Netherlands (2.9 percent). Compared with February 2019, annual inflation fell in six Member States, remained stable in two and rose in nineteen,” EU’s statistical branch said.

The HICP index used by Eurostat measure price with a unified basket of consumer products and services for the 28 member states.

But the Romanian basket of consumer products and services, which includes a higher percentage of food products, shows a different picture.

According to National Institute of Statistics (INS) data, the annual inflation rate, measuring the evolution of consumption prices in the last year, increased to 4 percent in March, from 3.8 percent in February, as food and fuel prices went up and RON’s depreciation fueled price increases in imported goods.

Compared with March 2018, the prices of food products rose by 4.45 percent on average, while non-food products increased by 4.15 percent. The prices of services went up by 3.2 percent.