It is the second quarter in a row when Romania has had the largest annual economic growth in the EU after in Q4 2013 Romania registered a 5.1 percent GDP increase.

Eurostat reports that EU had a 1.4 percent increase in Q1 2014 and the Eurozone, a 0.9 percent growth.

Romania performed better than the Czech Republic and France, whose economies stagnated in the first three months of this year, whereas the Dutch economy registered a 1.4 percent contraction.

Prices in Romania and Austria grew 1.6 percent in Q1 2014, the fastest increase rate in the EU, double the European average, according to statistics released by the European Commission on Thursday.

Austria and Romania were followed by Finland with 1.3 percent and Germany with 1.1 percent.

Compared to the previous month, Romania saw its inflation go up 0.3 percent, compared to a 0.1 percent European average.

Foreign direct investments totaled EUR 570 million in the first quarter of the year, up 30.1 percent compared to last year. Romania managed to attract EUR 290 million in March, the highest FDI total since the start of the year (EUR 36 million in February and EUR 240 million in January).

Equity investments, including reinvested profit, were EUR 514 million, while intragroup loans came in at EUR 56 million, the Central Bank showed on Thursday. (source: business-review.eu)