Romania’s gross domestic product increased by 5.2%, on the gross series and by 5% on the seasonally adjusted series, in the first quarter 2016 compared to the same period last year, after which, in the second quarter the GDP growth was 1 5% compared to the 1st quarter and 6% compared to Q2 2015.

In the first quarter of this year, the GDP grew by 4.3% over the first three months of last year and by 1.6% over the previous quarter.

With a GDP growth of 1.5% in the second quarter of 2016 compared with the previous three months, Romania registered the biggest economic advance of the 28 European Union member states, according to an estimate published Friday by the European Office for Statistics (Eurostat).

Also in the second quarter of 2016 compared to the same period in 2015 Romania registered the highest growth in the EU, followed by Slovakia (3.7%) and Spain (3.2%). The only decline was reported in Greece (minus 0.7%).

According to Eurostat, the euro zone GDP grew by 0.3% in the second quarter of 2016 after a 0.6% advance in the previous three months, while the European Union showed an expansion of 0.4%, after an advance of 0.5% in the previous three months. The GDP in the euro area recorded an annual growth rate of 1.6% during April-June 2016, while the European Union has recorded an advance of 1.8%.

In the spring economic forecast published in early May by the European Commission, the EU executive estimated that the Romanian economy will grow by 4.2% in 2016, supported by a robust domestic demand, following that in 2017 the growth rate to slow at 3 7%.