EU

The political focus of accession of the candidate countries (Ukraine, Moldova, Western Balkan countries) is shifting from formal admission to the “club” to the actual ingrowth of economies and institutions into the EU structure even before the official membership status, Logos Press reports.

February 23, Brussels will host a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council, where Lithuania will insist on the expansion of sanctions against Belarus, reports Logos Press.

Moldova is launching a reform of the state border management system to bring it closer to the standards in force in the Schengen zone, Logos Press reported.

The Moldovan leu has appreciated by 0.59% over the last month and has gained a record 8.93% over the last 12 months, which indicates not only growing confidence in the national currency, Logos Press reported.

Government support and procurement for sectors such as chips, automobiles, chemicals and quantum technologies will be limited to products made in the European Union, Logos Press reported.

Discussions around the implementation of a pledge system for packaging (SDA) in Moldova go beyond the environmental agenda. Formally, it is about the collection of glass, plastic and metal packaging. However, in essence, the country is facing the creation of a new economic system where the interests of producers, retailers and recyclers intersect. The key asset is not packaging as a waste, but the bottle as a resource.

MPs were not satisfied with the report of the Chairman of the Competition Council, Alexei Gherțescu, on the progress in the implementation of the National Accession Program for the Internal Market Cluster, Chapter 8, Competition Policy, Logos Press reported.

The draft law on crypto-assets, to be elaborated by the end of the year, is one of the most “sensitive” for institutions supervised by the National Bank of Moldova (NBM). Its drafting is being assisted by an OSCE expert, Logos Press reported.

Moldova ended the year with a positive export balance for the first time in several years. Shipments abroad in 2025 amounted to $3.8 billion, which is 6.4% more than in the previous period. And this is probably the only good news in the country’s foreign trade balance.

The experience of table grapes producer Nikolai Susan, from Ursoaya village (Cahul district) demonstrates that with cooperation and consulting support the organization of export to the European Union is realistic even for small and medium-sized farmers, Logos Press reports.

Turkey is the country with the largest number of defense companies among NATO countries. The country has more than 3,500 defense companies, compared to about 2,800 in the 29 allied countries of Europe, Logos Press reported.

Excess supply and falling sugar prices have become an acute challenge for the global sugar industry. Ukrainian sugar growers promise to henceforth comply with European sugar market rules, Logos Press reported.

Sweden is considering abandoning its national currency (krona) in favor of the euro, due to geopolitical changes, NATO membership and the krona’s vulnerability, according to Logos Press.

The chairman of the parliamentary commission on economy, budget and finance, Radu Marian, urged the institutions “not to put the horse ahead of the cart” and not to adopt EU regulations earlier than they are agreed upon in the EU itself, Logos Press reported.

The U.S. dollar accounts for about 60 percent of the world’s merchandise exports, compared to about 25 percent for the euro, Europe’s single currency, much to the dismay of Brussels and member countries’ finance ministers.

Moldova attracted a net inflow of $458.4 million in foreign direct investment in 2024, bringing total FDI to $5.471 billion, Logos Press reported.

The opposition party Alternative for Germany (AfD) has registered in the Bundestag a Small Request to the federal government regarding the consequences of a possible unification of Moldova with Romania, Logos Press reports.

Moldova will raise the level of participation in the Regional Center for Security Cooperation (RACVIAC) from observer to associate member, Logos Press reports.

The European Commission has approved a new package of measures under the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) that directly prohibits the destruction of unsold textiles, footwear, accessories and clothing, Logos Press reports.

The Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine at the request of the Ukrainian Association of Milk Producers has officially applied to the authorities of the European Union with a proposal to provide anti-crisis financial support to the country’s dairy farms in 2026, according to Logos Press.