2023 in numbers

• January 5

- The meeting to establish the Superior Council of Magistracy (SCM) takes place, for a six-year mandate. Daniel Grădinaru, judge at the High Court of Cassation and Justice, is elected president of the CSM for the year 2023.

• January 16

- The prosecutors of the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) order the criminal investigation against Ion Simu-Alexandru, interim general manager of CFR SA, and Petru Ceşa, technical deputy general manager of the company. The head of the CFR is accused of incitement to abuse of office and instigation to usurpation of office, and his subordinate - of abuse of office and usurpation of office.

• January 30

- Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă meets, at the Victoria Palace, with the executive director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Paul Hilbers, the two analyzing the evolution of Romania's economy.

• January 31st

- The anti-corruption prosecutors order the start of the criminal investigation for Gabriel Ţuţu, the general director of Romarm, whom they accuse of taking a bribe of 50,000 lei during the pandemic.

• February 24

- It is one year since the start of the Russian war in Ukraine.

• March 17

- The Financial Supervision Authority (ASF) withdraws the authorization of the Euroins Romania company, following the finding of signs of the insurer's insolvency.

• March 22

- The executive decides to grant state aid of 27.242 million lei, in 2023, to facilitate the closure of non-competitive coal mines within the insolvent Complexul Energetic Hunedoara SA.

• March 29

- The financial evaluation agency Fitch revises down, from "B+" to "CC", the financial soundness rating of Euroins România Asigurare-Reasigurare SA, in the "junk" category (not recommended for investments).

• April 5

- The government approves the capping of RCA policy prices.

- The executive adopts a series of normative acts aimed at improving the level of collection of budget revenues.

• May 10

- The government adopts a draft law that proposes to change the method of calculating the clawback contribution - a quarterly payment obligation for the holders of marketing authorizations for medicines.

• May 22

- The general strike of teachers begins.

- The Senate, as a decision-making body, adopts the new Education laws.

• May 24

- The executive approves the government decision regarding the National Strategy for the development of the capital market in the period 2023-2026.

• May 30

- Lucian Heiuş, the president of the National Fiscal Administration Agency (ANAF), submits his resignation, and Bogdan-Lari Mihei - the president of the Romanian Customs Authority - is dismissed.

• June 8

- The Government approves a declaration regarding the sectoral salary policy for personnel from the national education system and the establishment of general principles in order to improve the status of teaching, auxiliary teaching and non-teaching staff from the national education system and valorizing the teaching career.

• June 12

- Nicolae Ciucă resigns from the position of prime minister, with a view to achieving the turn around in the government between PNL and PSD, and the position at the head of the Government goes to Marcel Ciolacu.

• June 15th

- Parliament approves, in plenary, the government program, and Marcel Ciolacu is sworn in as prime minister.

• June 30

- Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu announces the capping of commercial additives to basic foods through an emergency ordinance that entered into force on July 30.

• July 3

- Eduard Hellvig, the general director of the Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI), resigns from his position.

• July 4

- DIICOT prosecutors descend on three social assistance homes in the town of Voluntari. Following the searches, 26 suspects were detained, who, according to DIICOT, had constituted a criminal network that subjected 98 people in care centers to ill-treatment and torture.

- President Klaus Iohannis promulgates the National Education laws.

• July 12

- Hidroelectrica shares, a leader in electricity production and the main provider of technological services needed in the National Energy System, enter trading on the Regulated Market of the Bucharest Stock Exchange (BVB), under the symbol H2O.

• July 13

- Marius Budăi (PSD) submits his resignation from the position of Minister of Labor, following the scandal at the Voluntari dormitories.

• July 14

- Gabriela Firea (PSD) resigns from the position of Minister of the Family, also against the background of the Voluntari scandal.

• July 19

- Simona Bucura-Oprescu (PSD) is appointed as Minister of Labor, and Natalia-Elena Intotero (PSD) - as Minister of the Family.

• August 18

- Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu and his Ukrainian counterpart Denys Shmyhin sign, in Bucharest, a political declaration based on which our country will double the storage, transit and export capacity of Ukrainian grains, from 24 million tons to 48 million tons.

• September 26

- The executive assumes responsibility, in Parliament, for a new package of fiscal measures.

• September 28

- The government decides that, from October 1, the minimum gross salary for the country guaranteed in payment will increase from 3,000 lei to 3,300 lei monthly.

• October 10

- The first visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to our country is taking place.

• October 26

- President Klaus Iohannis promulgates the Law on the new package of fiscal measures.

• November 3

- Moody's financial evaluation agency reconfirms the rating related to Romania's government debt at "Baa3" for long-term debt and "P-3" for short-term debt, as well as the "stable" outlook.

• November 8

- The Board of Directors of the National Bank of Romania decides the following: maintaining the monetary policy interest rate at the level of 7% per year.

• November 9

- The Government adopts an emergency ordinance by which it modifies the ceilings regarding the use of cash payments.

- The executive approves the draft law on the public pension system, which it sends to Parliament. According to the normative act, the pensions of over 4.7 million beneficiaries will be recalculated according to the new formula.

• November 15

- The European Commission has revised down its estimate regarding the growth of the Romanian economy this year, from 3.2% - as it anticipated in May, to 2.2%, due to the high inflation that limits real available incomes, the tightening of financial conditions and external demand.

• November 16

- The Government approves the constitutive act of Banca de Investiţii si Dezvoletta SA, a bank provided for in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR).

• November 29

- Former Prime Minister Florin Cîţu loses his parliamentary immunity after the Senate plenary approves the request of the DNA regarding the start of the criminal investigation on behalf of the liberal senator accused of abuse of office in the case of the acquisition of anti-Covid vaccines.

• November 30

- The Return Guarantee System becomes operational, which establishes the selective collection of blankets, cans and bottles both for traders and for end users.

• December 4

- The BNR announces that, on November 30, 2023, the foreign exchange reserves at the National Bank of Romania stood at 58,894 million euros, compared to 58,186 million euros on October 31, 2023. The level of the gold reserve remained at 103.6 tons. Under the conditions of international price developments, its value was 6,187 million euros. Romania's international reserves (currency plus gold) on November 30, 2023 were 65,081 million euros, compared to 64,432 million euros on October 31, 2023.

• December 13

- The National Institute of Statistics (INS) announces that the inflation rate was 6.7% at the end of November.

• December 14

- The NBR announces that, in the period January - October 2023, the current account of the balance of payments recorded a deficit of 18,340 million euros, compared to 22,971 million euros in the period January - October 2022. In its structure, the balance of goods recorded a deficit more small by 3,476 million euros, the balance of services - a larger surplus by 1,160 million euros, the balance of primary incomes - a smaller deficit by 61 million euros, and the balance of secondary incomes - a smaller surplus by 66 million euros.

• December 20

- The Plenary of the Parliament votes the new leadership of the Financial Supervision Authority (ASF): Alexandru Petrescu - president, Gabriel Avrămescu - first vice-president, Gabriela Horga - vice-president for the capital market, Sorin Mititelu - vice-president for the insurance market, Daniel Armeanu - vice-president for private pension funds.

- The Parliament adopts the state budget for the year 2024, which foresees an increase of the Gross Domestic Product by 3.4% and a cash budget deficit of 5%.

• December 27

- The Council of the European Union announces that an agreement has been reached with Austria and the Netherlands for Romania and Bulgaria to join the Schengen area of free movement of people and goods, only with air and sea borders, starting on March 31, 2024.

• December 28

- The Ministry of Finance announces that the general consolidated budget deficit rose to 4.64% of GDP after the first 11 months of the current year, respectively to 73.55 billion lei, from 58.7 billion lei (4.19% of GDP ) in the first 11 months of 2022.

• December 29

- The BET index, which captures the dynamics of the twenty most liquid securities of the Bucharest Stock Exchange (BVB), rose by 31.8% last year, and also with dividends, the appreciation of the share basket, reflected by the evolution of the BET-TR index , rose to 39.9%.

- In 2023, the Transport Trade Services titles had the biggest increase in the stock market quotation, of 135%, respectively a yield of 140% including dividends.

- Bucharest Stock Exchange shares rose by 86%, with a total yield of 89%.

- The shares of Sphera Franchise Group, the operator of the KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell brands, rose by 84%, with a total return of 95%.

- The shares of Banca Transilvania and BRD-Groupe Societe Generale had increases of 37% and 38%, respectively.

- The BET-NG index, of energy and utility companies, had an advance of 31.4% last year.

- Hidroelectrica shares closed the year with 16.4% above the price of the first day of trading.

- OMV Petrom shares increased by 37% last year, and including dividends, the yield rose to 56.4%.

- Electrica shares rose by 41.9%, with a total return of 43.4%, while Transelectrica shares appreciated by 38.7%, with a total return of 42%.