Eurostat published on Wednesday, 21 October, the second 2026 notification for the excessive deficit procedure. Romania’s general government deficit in 2025 is 7.8% of GDP, the highest in the Union. This is an ESA 2010 statistical release, not a new law and not a procedure opened today.

In lei the deficit is 149.731 billion, on GDP of 1,929.930 billion. In April, at the first 2026 notification, the same 2025 series stood at 7.9% of GDP. A one-tenth revision, not a 7.65% cash outturn and not the 7.9% figure from the Finance Ministry’s then-statements, treated as if it were today’s number.

Romania’s government debt reached 58.9% of GDP at the end of 2025, or 1,137.587 billion lei. In 2024 it was 54.6%, in 2023 49.4%. The deficit was 9.2% in 2024 and 6.6% in 2023. Government expenditure was 43.4% of GDP, revenue 35.6%. National-accounts stocks and flows, not a debt ceiling voted today.

For the EU as a whole the deficit stayed at 3.1% of GDP in 2025, unchanged from 2024. In the euro area (EA20) it stayed at 3.0%. Debt rose from 80.3% to 81.5% in the EU and from 86.6% to 87.7% in the euro area. Five countries ran a surplus: Cyprus, Denmark, Greece, Ireland and Portugal. After Romania come Poland (7.2%), Belgium (5.2%) and France (5.1%). Eleven states had a deficit of at least 3% of GDP.

Aradon carries Agerpres, which in turn carries the Eurostat release. The surplus list in the reprint omits Ireland; the official figure includes it, at plus 1.8% of GDP. Eurostat says it made no amendments to data reported by member states. It has a reservation on the quality of Bulgaria’s 2025 data, not Romania’s.

Until a Council decision or a domestic law, the closed fact is the autumn notification: Romania 7.8% deficit and 58.9% debt in 2025, against 7.9% in the April round. Statistics, not a law.

Image: Carlos Goulao, Kirchberg (Luxembourg), 2006, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons; the 2006 building, not a photograph of the 21 October 2026 EDP notification.

Sources consulted: Eurostat: Romania again had the highest government deficit in the EU last year - Aradon / Agerpres; Euro area government deficit at 3.0% and EU at 3.1% of GDP - Eurostat, 21 October 2026.