Bloomberg: Romania gives blood donors better rates on government bonds. The program has raised about $600 million since the start of 2025.

Since the beginning of 2025, Romania has managed to raise approximately $604 million through a program that offers higher yields on government bonds to blood donors, as reported by Bloomberg. Blood donors can secure bonds with an annual yield of more than 7%, which is about one percentage point higher than what other retail investors can obtain.

This initiative not only assists the government in raising funds but also encourages more blood donations. Last year, Romania had the highest budget deficit in the European Union, and now, individual investors, including those who buy "donor" bonds, constitute nearly 20% of all government borrowing. The government spends a minimal amount on promoting the program, with Treasury chief Stefan Nanu confirming this.

The program was initiated in 2023 in collaboration with a well-known radio station, and television channels have covered it without any cost to the government. While Bloomberg did not provide the precise amount raised since the program's launch, it confirmed that thousands of individual investors have purchased bonds at the enhanced rate given to blood donors.

Romania has consistently exceeded the EU's budget deficit limit of 3% of GDP annually since 2021, with a deficit of 7.9% of GDP in 2025, which is higher than any other EU country and slightly above the government's target of 7.8%. In June 2025, the European Commission warned that Romania might lose access to some EU funding if the situation did not improve.

Bucharest took steps to cut spending and approve tax increases, but authorities failed to meet the deadline for certain essential reforms. In August 2026, EU officials threatened to withhold a €770 million tranche of economic recovery funding unless Romania promptly passed legislation on public-sector pay. This report, written by a journalist for Meduza, has been translated from Russian using an AI model that adheres to strict editorial standards, with each draft reviewed by an editor before publication. If any errors are found in the translation, readers are encouraged to contact reports@meduza.io.