First quarter in numbers

• January 1

- Our country fully enters the Schengen area.

• January 10

- The Government decides to modify the framework program for issuing government securities "Medium Term Notes", by increasing it from 75 billion euros to 90 billion euros.

- The authorities announce the allocation of 5.6 million lei for compensation related to the expropriations necessary for the Răstoliţa Hydropower Development, a strategic project in the energy field.

• January 16

- The Government adopts the necessary legislative framework for the reorganization of the presidential elections, setting the election date for May 4, 2025 and May 18 for the second round.

• January 25

- Pieces from the Dacian Treasure of Romania are stolen from the Drents Museum in the Netherlands. The authorities in Bucharest open a criminal case for aggravated theft.

• February 1

- The Government approves the 2025 State Budget Law and the Social Insurance Budget Law.

• February 5

- Parliament adopts the State Budget Law and the Social Security Budget Law.

• February 7

- Green Tech International, a group that operates geothermal wells and a platform for geothermal energy solutions, debuts on the BVB.

• February 10

- President Klaus Iohannis signs the decrees for the promulgation of the State Budget Law for 2025 and the State Social Security Budget Law.

- President Klaus Iohannis announces his resignation from the presidency to avoid a political crisis generated by the initiation of the suspension procedure.

• February 12

- Ilie Bolojan is appointed interim president of the country.

• February 14

- The Board of Directors of the National Bank of Romania decides to maintain the monetary policy interest rate at 6.50% per year; maintaining the interest rate for the lending facility (Lombard) at 7.50% per annum and the interest rate for the deposit facility at 5.5% per annum; maintaining the levels of the minimum reserve requirements for the liabilities in lei and foreign currency of credit institutions.

• February 24

- A DNA investigation takes place in the Port of Constanta. Several directors and officials of the Maritime Ports Administration, along with businessmen, were accused of taking and giving bribes.

• February 26

- Former presidential candidate Călin Georgescu is placed under judicial control, being accused of six crimes, including instigation of actions against the constitutional order.

• February 27

- The Government decides to extend the measure of capping-compensating electricity prices until July 1, 2025, and until March 31, 2026 for natural gas.

• February 28

- The motion of censure against the Ciolacu Government, initiated by AUR, SOS and POT, is rejected in Parliament.

• March 3

- The National Bank of Romania announces that, on February 28, 2025, the foreign exchange reserves at the National Bank of Romania stood at 62,593 million euros, compared to 60,837 million euros on January 31, 2025. The level of the gold reserve remained at 103.6 tons. Given the evolution of international prices, its value stood at 9,171 million euros. Romania's international reserves (currency plus gold) on February 28, 2025 were 71,764 million euros, compared to 69,810 million euros on January 31, 2025.

• March 9

- The Central Electoral Bureau (BEC) rejects the candidacy of Călin Georgescu in the presidential elections. The decision was appealed to the Constitutional Court of Romania (CCR).

• March 11

- The BEC rejects Călin Georgescu's appeal, definitively eliminating his candidacy.

• March 13

- The Executive approves the granting of state aid of 3.12 billion lei to the Societatea Complexul Energetic "Valea Jiului" SA for the phased implementation of the Mining Closure Plan, between 2025 and 2032.

- The Government decides to grant, this year, in two installments, a total financial support of 800 lei for vulnerable persons, which will benefit 2.7 million pensioners with incomes below 2,574 lei.

- Diana Iovanovici-Şoşoacă, leader of the SOS Romania party, files her candidacy for the presidency, but this was later rejected.

• March 14

- The Prosecutor General's Office orders several searches in the case in which Horaţiu Potra, Călin Georgescu's aide, is indicted, a case that concerns serious crimes against public order and national security.

• March 15

- The deadline for submitting candidacies for the presidential elections, the first round of which will take place on May 4. The candidates in the race are Crin Antonescu, George Simion, Nicuşor Dan, Victor Ponta, Daniel Funeriu, Elena Lasconi, Cristian Terheş, Lavinia Şandru, John Ion Banu, Silviu Predoiu and Sebastian Constantin Popescu.

• March 20

- The Ministry of Finance announces that it has attracted over 2.2 billion lei through the second primary offer of government securities for the population Fidelis, carried out this year through the Bucharest Stock Exchange.

• March 25

- Romgaz and OMV announce that they have started drilling in the Neptun Deep perimeter, for the exploitation of natural gas existing in the area.

- Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu and Bogdan Ivan, Minister of Economy, announce the financing, by the European Commission, with 615 million euros of three projects for the extraction of critical minerals in our country.

• March 27

- The Ministry of Finance informs that the budget deficit reached 30.24 billion lei, respectively 1.58% of GDP in the first two months of 2025, compared to 28.99 billion lei (1.64% of GDP) in the same period in 2024.

- The Government decides, upon the proposal of the Financial Supervisory Authority, to extend the cap on RCA policies until June 30, 2025.

• March 28

- The Supreme Council of National Defense decides on the acquisition of a modern multi-role corvette for the Romanian Naval Forces, the continuation of increased military and economic support for Ukraine and the phased increase of the defense budget.

• March 31

- The BET index, of the 20 most liquid stocks on the Bucharest Stock Exchange (BVB), rose by 4.74% in the first quarter, to 17,513 points, and the BET-BK, the benchmark for the performance of equity investment funds, by 3.63%, to 3,254 points.

- Transgaz Mediaş shares registered a 25.8% increase in the first quarter, having the best evolution in the BET index.

- Shares of natural gas producer Romgaz appreciated by 16.7%, those of oil company OMV Petrom - by 4.2%.

- Shares of electricity transporter Transelectrica appreciated by 13.7%, shares of energy supplier and distributor Electrica - by 1.2%.

- The BET-NG index, of energy and utilities companies, rose by 5.6%, having the best evolution among the baskets of shares of our stock exchange.

- The shares of the Danube freight carrier Transport Trade Services depreciated by 15.4%, the shares of the construction materials producer TeraPlast - by 15%, those of the real estate developer One United Properties - by 14.4%.

- The BET-FI index, of the former SIFs plus Fondul Proprietatea, decreased by 2.2%, to 60,649 points. FP shares appreciated by 20.2%.