She recalled the expensive repairs needed on the heating system at her apartment. Then she thought of the extra 500 lei — about $130 — the government had just added to her monthly pension. “Shopping is like my therapy,” said Ms. Petculescu, 64, who retired five years ago from her accounting job at a state-owned telephone company. “To feel good, I buy.”Advertisement Continue reading the main storyThe inclinations of this retiree at the AFI Cotroceni mall help explain why Romania is the fastest-growing economy in Europe. In the first half of the year, it expanded at a blistering 5.8 percent pace compared with the same period a year earlier.

Source: New York Times October 19, 2017 03:22 UTC