2024 in numbers

• January 1

- Mandatory electronic invoicing for all transactions between taxable persons established in the country comes into force. The measure is applicable until December 31, 2026.

• January 11

- The European Commission approves a state aid scheme notified by Romania worth euro126 million to support investments in ports facing increased trade flows as a result of the war launched by Russia against Ukraine.

• February 1

- The Government adopts a memorandum authorizing the Ministry of Finance to contract legal assistance services in order to ensure the representation of our country in the case pending before the French-speaking Court of First Instance in Brussels, in which the company Pfizer - BioNTech sued Romania for the payment of all anti-Covid vaccines purchased as part of the European Union supply contract, signed in 2021. In this case, Pfizer asks the government in Bucharest to pay 564 million euros for the 28.94 million vaccines ordered.

• February 16

- The Government decides to grant restructuring state aid in the form of a grant to the Oltenia Energy Complex Company SA.

• March 8

- The international arbitration court attached to the World Bank decides to reject the action initiated by the company Gabriel Resources in the Roşia Montană case, implicitly rejecting the compensation of over six billion dollars requested and obliging the company to reimburse Romania for the legal costs related to the arbitration procedure.

• March 20

- European Commission officials, who came to Bucharest, present the annual progress report of our country regarding the implementation of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan.

• March 31

- Romania and Bulgaria enter the Schengen area with their air and sea borders.

• April 11

- The Executive approves the National Financial Education Strategy 2024-2030.

• April 16

- President Klaus Iohannis approves criminal prosecution requests targeting Petre Roman, as former Prime Minister, and Gelu-Voican Voiculescu, as former Deputy Prime Minister, for their involvement in the June 13-15, 1990 mining riot.

• May 28

- Premier Energy, an energy company, debuts on the BVB Main Market.

• June 9

- European and local elections are held.

• June 11

- JT Grup Oil successfully completes its initial public offering on the BVB AeRo market, raising 20 million lei.

• June 13

- The executive approves a memorandum on the negotiation of a loan agreement with the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development to finance the state budget deficit and refinance the government's public debt.

• June 20

- President Klaus Iohannis and members of the CSAT decide to transfer a Patriot system to Ukraine.

• August 14

- The Government approves the Government Public Debt Management Strategy for the period 2024-2026.

• August 22

- Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, Minister of Finance Marcel Boloş, and other members of the Cabinet travel to Brussels for discussions with Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, regarding the need to revise the budget deficit target assumed for 2024 and establish a seven-year plan in which Romania's finances will return to the deficit level of a maximum of 3% of GDP.

• August 24

- The PSD Congress takes place, an event during which Marcel Ciolacu was re-elected leader of the Social Democrats, and was also designated the party's candidate in the presidential elections.

• September 2

- Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, nominates Roxana Mînzatu for the position of Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, with the portfolio for Employment, Social Rights and Education.

• September 4

- CCP.RO Bucharest shareholders approve the updated Business Plan of the Central Counterparty, the company's capital increase by five million euros, the license agreement with Euronext Clearing and the contract with the new technology service provider. Of the five million, three million euros represent the contribution of BVB.

- The Government approves a partial tax amnesty benefiting 330,000 companies and 848,000 individuals.

• September 23

- The Government adopts the first budget amendment of the year.

• October 4

- The Ministry of Finance launches the first issue of Samurai bonds totaling 33 billion yen, with firm purchase orders from investors amounting to 34.1 billion yen.

• October 11

- The mandate of the new NBR Board of Directors comes into force for a period of five years.

• October 24

- The Fiscal Adjustment Plan is published to bring the budget deficit back within the maximum target of 3% of GDP.

• November 8

- The NBR Board of Directors decides to maintain the monetary policy interest rate at 6.50%.

• November 21

- The Government approves the Industrial Strategy for the period 2024-2030 and the Energy Strategy for the period 2025-2035.

• November 24

- The first round of the presidential elections takes place, placing the independent Călin Georgescu and the USR president, Elena Lasconi, in the first two places.

• November 27

- The Government approves the increase in the gross minimum wage in the country, which increases from January 1, 2025 from 3,700 lei to 4,050 lei.

- The Executive adopts a government decision on the approval of the National Strategy for the Defense Industry 2024-2030.

- The Government approves the National Market Surveillance Strategy 2024-2027.

• November 28

- The Supreme Council for National Defense (CSAT) meets and finds that there were cyber attacks aimed at influencing the fairness of the November 24 electoral process.

December 1

- Parliamentary elections are held, resulting in the following structure of the Legislature: PSD - 122 seats, AUR - 91, PNL - 71, USR - 59, SOS Romania - 40, UDMR - 32, POT - 31, National Minorities Group - 19.

- The National Bank of Romania announces that, as of November 30, 2024, Romania's international reserves (currency plus gold) were 69,573 million euros, compared to 71,361 million euros on October 31, 2024.

• December 2

- The Constitutional Court of Romania (CCR) validates the first round of the presidential elections.

• December 6

- The Constitutional Court decides to annul the first round of the presidential elections. President Klaus Iohannis announces that he will remain in office until a new president of the country is elected.

• December 17

- The financial rating agency Fitch Ratings revises the outlook for Romania's rating from "stable" to "negative", but confirms our country's long-term foreign currency rating at "BBB-".

• December 20

- The new Parliament is formed, and Klaus Iohannis appoints Marcel Ciolacu as prime minister in charge of forming the new government.

• December 23

- The Ciolacu 2nd Government passes the Parliament's vote and takes the oath of office.

• December 30

- The Government adopts the "Trenuleţ" ordinance, which introduces a set of measures aimed at reducing the budget deficit, supporting public investments and optimizing the functioning of the state by reducing excessive spending.

• December 31

- The Ministry of Finance announces that, in the first 11 months of 2024, the budget deficit was 125.72 billion lei (7.12% of GDP), compared to 73.55 billion lei (4.58% of GDP) in the period January - November 2023.

- The BET index, of the 20 most liquid securities on the Bucharest Stock Exchange (BVB), rose by 8.8% in 2024, to 16,721 points, but 11% below the historical record of 18,749 points reached on July 18.

- The BET-TRN index, which reflects both the evolution of BET share prices and the reinvestment of net dividends, increased by 15.5%.

- The BET-XT index, of the 30 most liquid shares of our market, increased by 9.2% last year, and including dividends, the total gross return of the basket of shares amounted to 15.3%.

- Antibiotice Iaşi shares had a total return of about 90%, the highest in the BET index, last year.

- Sphera shares, a group that brings together the KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell brands, recorded a total return of 65%, and Digi shares - 48%.

- The BET-NG energy index appreciated by 7% last year.

- One United Properties shares (-42.8%), those of Transport Trade Services (-34%) and Fondul Proprietatea (-39.8%) recorded the largest decreases in the BET index, last year.

- The BET-FI index, of former SIFs plus Fondul Proprietatea, increased by 4.6%.

- The BETAeRO index, of companies considered relevant for the Multilateral Trading System of our stock exchange, decreased by 10.8%, being the only BVB stock basket that depreciated in 2024.