At the same time, the total volume of investment in SEZs since their establishment has exceeded $653.8 million, with more than 55% of the investment going to the largest SEZ, “Belts.”
At the same time, the share of free economic zones in the country’s total fixed capital investment declined from 1.8% to 1.5%. These figures were provided by the Ministry of Economic Development and Digitalization.
Throughout 2025, there were six free economic zones (free enterprise zones) operating in the Republic of Moldova, located in all regions of the country and established by special laws.
However, in accordance with the provisions of the special law on its establishment, the Tvarditsa Free Economic Zone—created for a 30-year term on a 3.57-hectare site—expired on December 28, 2025. After that, its residents were transferred to the general tax regime.
Geography of Residents
Of the total investment volume of $362.4 million, the largest SEZ, “Belț,” accounts for 55.4%. Its residents are predominantly companies with capital of German and Japanese origin.
The “Ungheni-Business” Free Zone attracted $123.1 million (18.8%), with local investments dominating there. The same is true for the “Expo-Business-Chisinau” FEZ, which attracted $86.2 million (13.2%).
Investments totaling $38.2 million (5.8%) in the “Vâlcănești” SEZ were mostly of Dutch origin, $24.1 million (3.7%) in the “Tvarditsa” SEZ came mostly from the United Kingdom, and $19.8 million in the “Taraclia” SEZ (3%) consisted mainly of local funds.
SEZs’ Share of the Economy
The report by the Ministry of Economic Development notes that as of the end of 2025, 240 residents were registered in the six zones (16 fewer than a year earlier): 90 in Bălți, 56 in Ungheni, 50 in Chișinău, 29 in Vulcănești, 10 in Taraclia, and 5 in Tvarditsa.
SEZs account for about 13.7% of all industrial workers in Moldova and about 2.1% of those employed in the real sector of the economy. The number of employees at SEZ-resident enterprises decreased by nearly 10% over the year, totaling 12,856 people. The average wage rose by 6.2% over the year, exceeding 12,000 lei.
In 2025, SEZ residents paid 959.1 million lei in taxes and other mandatory payments to the national public budget, which was 3.5% less than the previous year.
The SEZs’ share of total tax revenues to the budget decreased from 1.1% to 1%. Enterprises in the “Belts” FEZ accounted for nearly 74% of all tax revenues, while the share of the other zones ranged from 0.2% (Taraclia) to 15.2% (Ungheni).
Production Recovery
Revenues of FEZ residents from the sale of industrial products in 2025 increased by 2% compared to the previous year, totaling 12.8 billion lei. At the same time, 94.4% of the products manufactured were exported.
Companies operating in free economic zones manufacture electrical wiring harnesses for the automotive industry, insulated cables, fiberglass products, electrical conductors, induction coils, greenhouse modules, furniture, car seat covers, carpets, LED lamps, as well as wine and fruit and vegetable products.
The “Belts” Free Economic Zone leads in terms of industrial production volume, accounting for 75.2% of total output. “Ungheni-Business” ranks second with a 13.9% share.
The ministry notes that following the 2020 pandemic and the crisis associated with the outbreak of hostilities in Ukraine in 2022, residents’ operations are gradually recovering in 2023–2025.
Interestingly, the Tvarditsa Free Economic Zone demonstrated the highest production growth rates in 2025, with industrial output increasing by 50.7%. Companies such as “Moldovan Standard,” with a 56.2% increase in sales (revenue in 2025 totaled 234.7 million lei), and “Zolotoy Aist” — with a 43% increase (revenue in 2025 was 146.4 million lei).
Statistics on Leaders and Laggards
In the “Belț” SEZ, production grew by 3.8%. The zone’s largest manufacturers were Draexlmaier Automotive with sales of 3.36 billion lei, GG Gables & Wires EE with 2.94 billion lei, and SE Bordnetze with 2.57 billion lei.
In the “Expo-Business-Chisinau” SEZ, production increased by 3.2%, mainly due to Djofra-M, a manufacturer of fiberglass mesh.
At the same time, production declined in three SEZs. In “Ungheni-Business,” the decline was 10.4%; in “Vâlcănești,” it was 0.2%; and the most significant drop—79.8%—was recorded in the “Taraclia” FEZ.
Administrative expenses for the free economic zones in 2025 totaled 46.7 million lei, an increase of 15.5%. Revenues for the FEZ administrations reached 44.3 million lei, or 7.4% more than the previous year.
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