The third quarter in numbers

• July 3rd

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

• July 4th

- DIICOT prosecutors descend on three social assistance homes - "Armonia", "Sfântul Gabriel cel Viteaz" and "Casa Cora" - in the town of Voluntari. Following the searches, 26 suspects were detained, who, according to DIICOT, 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 6

- The Supreme Council of National Defense (CSAT) decides to establish, in Romania, a regional hub for the training of pilots who will fly F-16 fighter jets.

- The road bridge over the Danube, which connects Brăila and Tulcea counties, named by locals and politicians the "Golden Gate of Romania", is inaugurated.

• July 7

- Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu requests the resignation or dismissal of all those responsible for the situation in the social assistance homes in Voluntari and the initiation of a national level control regarding the specialized centers.

• 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. The shares of Hidroelectrica ended the first day of trading at the price of 110 lei, 5.7% above the price at which the public offer ended, of 104 lei, under the conditions of a transaction value of 760 million lei.

• July 13

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

• July 14th

- 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.

• July 27

- The Government approves the decision regarding the organization and functioning of the Agency for Monitoring and Evaluation of the Performance of Public Enterprises (AMEPIP), which will be under the coordination of the Prime Minister, through the General Secretariat of the Government.

- The executive approves the increase, in two stages, of the value of the meal ticket from 30 lei to 35 lei, starting on August 1, 2023, respectively to 40 lei from January 1, 2024.

• August 7

- The Ministry of National Defense decides to cancel the procurement procedure started in 2018 for four corvettes intended for the Romanian Naval Forces.

• 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.

• August 26

- There is an explosion at an LPG station in Crevedia, which has been operating illegally since 2020. The disaster led to the deaths and injuries of some people.

• August 29

- The Minister of Defense, Angel Tîlvăr, signs the Letter of Intent between the Ministry of National Defense of Romania, the Ministry of Defense of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Lockheed Martin company regarding the Training Center in our country for pilots who serve F-16 fighter jets.

• 1st of September

- The BNR announces that, on August 31, 2023, the foreign exchange reserves at the National Bank of Romania stood at 53,901 million euros, compared to 53,936 million euros on July 31, 2023. The level of the gold reserve remained at 103.6 tons. Under the conditions of international price developments, its value was 5,958 million euros. Romania's international reserves (currency plus gold) on August 31, 2023 were 59,859 million euros, compared to 59,843 million euros on July 31, 2023.

• September 8

- The Government approves the implementation procedure of the Investalim national program for the development and support of the food industry for the period 2023-2026.

• September 13

- The BNR announces that, in the period January - July 2023, the current account of the balance of payments recorded a deficit of 11,892 million euros, compared to 15,207 million euros in the period January - July 2022. In its structure, the balance of goods recorded a smaller deficit by 2,357 million euros, the balance of services - a larger surplus by 1,659 million euros, the balance of primary incomes - a larger deficit by 637 million euros, and the balance of secondary incomes - a smaller surplus by 64 million Of euro.

• September 20

- The government is discussing, in the first reading, the fiscal package that provides for the introduction of new measures in the field.

• September 23

- The National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) announces that it has ordered the initiation of criminal proceedings and the detention for 24 hours of the defendant Dumitru Buzatu, president of the Vaslui County Council, for committing the crime of bribery.

September 25

- The BNR informs that the monetary mass in the broad sense (M3) recorded, at the end of August 2023, a balance of 626,029.7 million lei. This increased by 0.6% (0.1% in real terms) compared to July 2023, and compared to August 2022 it increased by 8.5% (-0.8% in real terms).

- The exchange rate of the Swiss franc reaches the lowest level of the month against our currency: 5.1335 lei, according to the BNR.

• September 26

- The executive assumes responsibility, in Parliament, for the new fiscal measures.

• September 27

- The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) worsens the estimates regarding the evolution of the Romanian economy in 2023 and in 2024. According to the new forecasts, Romania's GDP will increase by 1.8% this year, after the May forecast indicated an expansion of 2.5% in 2023. Growth would accelerate to 3.2% next year, compared to a level of 3.5% estimated in May.

• September 28

- The Minister of Finance, Marcel Boloş, announces that our country has received the 2.76 billion euros requested from the European Commission through the second payment request from the PNRR, and during October the third payment request will be submitted, for the amount of 3 .1 billion euros.

- 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.

• September 29

- The BET index, of the 20 most liquid securities at BVB, rose by 14.9% in the third quarter, to 14,337 points.

- The BET-BK index, the yield benchmark of investment funds in shares, appreciated by 13.9%, to 2,676 points, while the BETAeRO index, of companies considered relevant for the Multilateral Trading System, rose by only 5 .5%, to 919 points.

- Transport Trade Services (TTS) shares rose by 37.3% in the third quarter, registering the best performance in the BET index.

- Bucharest Stock Exchange shares rose by 31.6%, due to the listing of Hidroelectrica, but especially due to the approaching elections for a new Council.

- Banca Transilvania (TLV) shares appreciated by 20.3%, BRD-Group Societe Generale (BRD) securities - by 18.1%.

- Electrica (EL) shares rose by 16.6% in the third quarter of the year, Transelectrica (TEL) - by 19.4%.

- The BET-NG index, of energy companies, had an advance of 11.4% in the July-September period, to 1,068 points.

- The BET-FI index, of SIFs plus Fondul Proprietatea, rose by 10.6% in the third quarter.