DIMENSIONS OF ROMANIA'S TRADE IN RECYCLABLE RAW MATERIALS WITHIN AND OUTSIDE THE EU

At the EU level, the transition to a more circular economy by reducing the demand for primary resources and energy has the potential to increase resilience, reduce dependence on energy and material imports, while contributing to the transition to clean energy. Thus, increasing the use and supply of secondary raw materials as essential production factors for a wide range of activity sectors within the EU economy will facilitate the achievement of sustainable development targets in the future. In this sense, the aim of the paper was to study the structure and the dynamics of the Romania’s trade, both import and export, in recyclable raw materials as a member state of the European Union. The analysis sought to highlight the main structural and quantitative changes occurring in the period 2004-2021, as well as Romania's position both in relation to the other member states and the EU average, taking into account the fact that the transition to the circular economy differs from one country to another.