International trade
As a result of leaving the CIS, Moldova’s state budget will save about 3.1 million lei in annual contributions. Moldova will pay almost the same amount this year to the Convention on the Danube Navigation Regime (Danube Commission).
The director of the Romanian company Transgaz, Ion Sterian, has assured that Romania currently has no problems with natural gas supplies despite the escalation of the war in the Middle East. The head of Transgaz said that consumption is covered by domestic production and storage facilities, while gas transit to Ukraine and Moldova continues as usual.
The customs authorities of Moldova and Romania intend to develop cooperation in order to optimize cross-border traffic and ensure the security of the common border. Emphasis will be placed on the implementation of coordinated controls at border crossing points, as well as on the implementation of the computerized NCTS system under the new conditions applicable to the Republic of Moldova.
The Moldovan authorities say that the situation with wine exports to Ukraine is under control, there will be no violations, and “solutions for unblocking” are being sought.
Microchips, biotechnology, robotics and artificial intelligence will be excluded from the list of “strategic sectors” to be (partially) purchased from European manufacturers. Only heavy industrial goods such as mild steel and cement, aluminum and plastics used in the construction and automotive industries remain. These goods will have an advantage in the awarding of government contracts.
The heads of parliaments of the states of the “Odessa Triangle”, which includes Moldova, Romania and Ukraine, advocated further strengthening of sanctions pressure on Russia, in particular with regard to its “shadow fleet”.
Foreign tourists staying in Qatar during the Middle East airspace closure can extend their hotel stays for free.
UPDATED. Moldova will be the subject of a special briefing on the European Union enlargement, which will be held on Wednesday, March 4, in Berlin. The meeting will focus on the progress of the country’s EU accession negotiations and reforms after the 2025 parliamentary elections.
Official Beijing has moved into a phase of active diplomatic pressure, demanding that the parties to the Middle East conflict immediately ensure the safety of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.
The National Agency for Food Safety (ANSA) is relaxing controls over shipments of packaged milk from Ukraine to Moldova. Only Ukrainian milk imported in bulk remains under continuous (consolidated) control.
The European Union is canceling duty-free imports of goods worth up to 150 euros, which will directly affect parcels from Asian marketplaces including AliExpress, Temu and Shein, according to Logos Press.
Turkey has been making intensive efforts through its peace-oriented diplomacy “to achieve just and equitable solutions to problems through dialogue and negotiations” against the backdrop of the war in Iran.
E-commerce giant Amazon has closed its fulfillment center in Abu Dhabi, suspended deliveries across the region and instructed its employees in Saudi Arabia and Jordan to stay home.
Romania’s Banca Transilvania, which controls in Moldova JSCB Victoriabank and microfinance company Microinvest, ended 2025 with a consolidated net profit of 4.66 billion Romanian lei (18.38 billion Moldovan lei), above the market level, helped by the best performance of the last quarter in recent years and the accelerated expansion of lending activities.
Meat market operators link the recovery of production in the Moldovan pork sector to the allocation of state compensation to pork enterprises for the fact of liquidation of pigs on the two largest pig farms in the country last year.
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine is preparing a draft decree on introducing a licensing regime for imports of grapes, wine and alcohol from Moldova. This decision protects Ukraine’s economic interests and is a response to the Moldovan side’s restriction of exports of Ukrainian poultry meat, by-products and products containing poultry meat.
Export of honey from Ukraine in 2025 compared to the figure for 2024 (about 86 thousand tons) decreased by 41.4% – to 50.3 thousand tons. In financial terms, the export of this product from Ukraine in 2025 decreased by 24.9% to $125.4 mln.
In the short term, the growth of exchange quotations for wheat will continue. Grain prices are always tightly linked to oil prices and the US dollar exchange rate. Attacks on Iran have already been converted by rising oil prices and strengthening of the dollar. In this nexus, a rise in the prices of fast traded agri-food commodities is inevitable.
Romanian Energy Minister Bogdan Ivan claims that the Vertical Corridor could bring Romanian companies additional profits of up to 250 million euros a year.
In issuing warnings about the “disappearance of Western civilization,” U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance often invoke the United Kingdom, and especially London, to substantiate their views.
