Gheorghe Yerizanu
Mihai Mitrică, director of the Romanian Publishers Association, at the opening of Bookfest Chișinău, said: “This is one of the last moments when, at least for books from Romania, you can enjoy prices without VAT, which has increased mercilessly since August 1. In the Republic of Moldova, you have managed to keep the VAT on books at 0% – congratulations and envy”.
The VAT increase in Romania comes against the backdrop of a stagnant industry. According to the Publishers Association, turnover increased by 76% between 2008 and 2023, with a cumulative inflation rate of 87.81%, which actually means a decline. Publishers’ profits rose by 134%, compared to a national average of 372%. The number of employees decreased by a third.
The VAT increase has also hit Moldovan publishers who work with Romania. Gheorghe Prinh, chairman of the Union of Publishers of Moldova, emphasized: “Today there is no serious publishing house in Moldova that is not present on the Romanian market. But being there means paying 11% VAT in advance – even before you have sold a single book. This complicates export-import procedures and raises prices.
According to him, the overall situation in Moldovan book publishing remains difficult: the number of new titles is decreasing. If three years ago about 2700 titles were published, today – a little more than 2400. Although the total volume of output is growing: books have become more voluminous and print runs have increased.
Minister of Culture Sergiu Prodan emphasized the importance of providing the population with access to printed culture: “In a situation when everything is becoming more expensive – paper, printing, services – a book cannot become cheaper. But it should not increase in price too much either. The government has programs to support authors from Moldova and their promotion abroad. We are looking for new mechanisms to finance foreign publishing houses that translate and publish our authors. The state should make efforts to reduce the tax burden on book publishing”.
Gheorghe Erizanu, director of Cartier publishing house, called the National Book Program “a breath of air” and said that Chisinau is preparing to join the European network TRADUKI, which connects South-Eastern European countries with the German-speaking world through books, translations and festivals.
In the meantime, Moldova’s publishing market is going through “gloomy” times: “2024 was weaker than 2023; 2023 was worse than 2022; 2022 was weaker than 2021. In 2024, 2,457 book titles came out (63 fewer than in 2023). In 2023, 80 fewer than in 2022. In 2022, 100 fewer than in 2021. The total circulation was 2.35 million copies,” Yerizanu noted when asked by Logos Press.
He developed a ranking of publishers in 2024. For the first time, the statistics included publishers with a circulation of 300 copies or more (previously, only over 500). Editions with a print run of up to 300 copies are mostly digital books, which, according to forecasts, in 10-15 years may completely disappear from libraries.
But there is a “comforting” fact: “The main disadvantage for Moldovan publishers is that we pay VAT at customs in advance, while Romanian residents pay it after the purchase. This will lead to a reduced presence of Moldovan books on the Romanian market. But we have to remember: the rate could be 21% – then we would disappear completely”.
From September 3 to 7, the Mediacor Center is hosting the VIII International Book Fair Bookfest Chișinău. More than 30 publishing houses from Moldova and Romania are participating.
Rector of MoldSU Igor Sharov noted that the postponement of the exhibition from August to September is related to the beginning of the academic year: “The return of students and schoolchildren will give the exhibition a new impetus, because young people are its main audience.
The chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Sergiu Harea, said that thanks to the support of the customs authorities of Moldova and Romania and the use of the AITA card, it was possible to simplify the import of books, which are available at the exhibition with a 20% discount.
