Five-month FDI stands at $753m

The level of foreign direct investment (FDI) Romania has managed to attract in the first five months this year stands at $753 million (616 million euros), up 7.2% from December 2003. The data provided by the National Trade Registry Office (ONRC) in May shows foreign investment stood at $106.2 million (some 87 million euros), up about 5% in dollars and 3.5% in euros from the previous month. The best month in terms of FDI this year was January, when some 211 million euros were invested. March by contrast was the worst month, attracting a mere 24.5 million euros in FDI. The number of new companies established amounted to 824 in May, whose subscribed capital totalled $5.7 million (4.7 million euros). The Bucharest-Ilfov development region attracted the most new companies, 311 in total, with a subscribed capital reaching $1.4 million. ZF