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Category: Politics & Economy
The decision announced by the prime minister to reinstate the licensing regime for imports of Ukrainian grain and oilseeds into Moldova is presented by him as a “necessary evil.” Why? After all, in theory, licensing is a means of operational monitoring and control, not a restriction—let alone a block—on imports.
Harnessing the potential for economic and trade cooperation, attracting investment, and developing new joint projects were the main topics of discussion between Prime Minister Vasile Tofan and Almat Aidarbekov, the Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the Republic of Moldova, on August 21.
“Chisinau has overtaken Dubai”; “Moldova wanted the EU by 2030, but got gas at 8:30 p.m.”; “Prices in our supermarkets are now on par with Warsaw and Prague, but wages are not.” Politicians and ordinary citizens are discussing the new gas rate, which will rise by 41% starting September 1—to 20.30 lei per cubic meter.
Today, the first meeting of the National Committee for Monitoring the Implementation of the Strategic Agricultural Policy Program for 2026–2030 was held. The committee was established by the Ministry of Agriculture as a platform for monitoring and evaluating progress toward achieving the goals of the PSPA.
Support for Ukrainian farmers will be provided through “existing mechanisms.” In essence, this is the European Commission’s rejection of a request from Ukraine’s Ministry of Agrarian Policy to provide Ukrainian farmers with an additional 220 million euros in non-repayable aid from European fundsdue to Russian attacks on ports and ships, which have blocked the export of agricultural products by sea.
The meeting on August 20 between the prime minister and members of the government and farmers and traders did not, by and large, change the parties’ positions on the core issues under discussion—transit and import licensing for Ukrainian agricultural products. Each side, as they say, “stuck to its own interests.” However, judging by initial reactions, the parties’ attitudes toward one another have changed—alas, not for the better.
Russia will restore the fee for processing citizenship applications from residents of Abkhazia, South Ossetia, and Transnistria to its previous level. They will pay $65 (instead of $600). Meduza reported this, citing the federal portal for draft regulatory legal acts of the Russian Federation.
Negotiations between Ukraine and the European Union in September will focus on increasing export quotas for “sensitive” agricultural products. The Ukrainian side is prepared to review the maximum volumes of agricultural products that the country can currently export to the EU duty-free, Ukrainian Agriculture Minister Taras Vysotsky said yesterday during a meeting with representatives of the Ukrainian agribusiness sector.
Mihai Mîtsu, Moldova’s ambassador to Romania, will also represent our country in Serbia and Montenegro on a non-resident basis.
In the Odesa region, curfew restrictions have been lifted for transit vehicles traveling to international border crossings with Moldova and Romania. The decision applies to all modes of transportation and traffic in both directions.
At least five grain-carrying ships were attacked by Ukrainian drones near the Russian Black Sea ports of Novorossiysk and Tuapse.
Defense Minister Anatolie Nosaty and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mihai Popșoi met in Chișinău with a bipartisan delegation from the Appropriations Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Eight non-EU countries have joined Brussels’ sanctions against Belarus. Moldova has not done so.
The Parliament’s Standing Bureau will consider a proposal by Parliament Speaker Igor Grosu to convene an extraordinary session from August 20 to 26, 2026.
Former Ukrainian Defense Minister Mikhail Fedorov called for finding a way to resume elections in the country even amid the ongoing war. In a video address, he stated that the protracted conflict should not deprive Ukrainians of the opportunity to elect their government.
U.S. President Donald Trump has instructed officials in the U.S. administration to halt negotiations with Iran.
In early August, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga stated that Kyiv is holding consultations with Warsaw regarding the possible transit of grain. Among the options is the use of the Polish ports of Gdańsk, Szczecin, and Gdynia for the onward export of Ukrainian products to third-country markets. However, Polish farmers fear that a significant portion of the transit shipments will remain in their country, as was the case three years ago. The reason for these concerns is a lack of transparency in the decision-making process.
Moldova’s grain and oilseed market is rapidly approaching its “moment of truth.” That is, an official and reasonably detailed announcement regarding what the “rules of the game” will be for these commodities in Moldova through the end of 2026.
An amendment to the draft changes to the Electoral Code has been registered in parliament; it provides for the introduction of rules ensuring the rotation of leadership positions within the Central Election Commission (CEC).
Germany opposes the European Commission’s plans to tax electricity at a lower rate than gas. Officials in Berlin claim that the EC is attempting to push these provisions through using a mechanism that allows them to be adopted by a majority vote, rather than unanimously, as required for EU tax measures.
