rankings

Businessman Dinu Patriciu is the wealthiest Romanian with a fortune estimated at EUR2.3 billion, according to the second edition of Forbes Romania Top 500 billionaires.

Romania ranked sixth in the European Union with respect for the budget deficit registered in 2007, with 2.5% of the GDP, while government spending in another 15 community states overtook income, according to data presented Friday by European statistics office Eurostat.

Romania invested 0.49% of its gross domestic product in research and development in 2006, ranking second to last in Europe, according to a press release issued by Eurostat, which places Cyprus last, with 0.42% of the GDP invested in R&D.