News about International trade
The Russian railway authority is raising tariffs for freight transportation to and from the Baltic States and Finland to Russia. Among other things, from June 15, a coefficient of 1.359 will be applied to transit tariffs on the territory of Russian Railways through Russian-Latvian, Russian-Estonian, Russian-Finnish border railway crossings. This will affect exports of grain and oilseeds from Central Asia, particularly Kazakhstan, to these EU countries.
Romanian company MAS, backed by Africa’s largest pension fund, has reached an agreement with AFI Europe (Netherlands), controlled by Israeli billionaires Roni and Yehuda Naftali, to acquire 6 open-air shopping centers in Romania for almost 200 million euros.
Public transport companies carried 82.8 million passengers in January-March 2026, 0.7% more than in the same period last year, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said.
Tehran has once again sharpened its oil rhetoric amid a new round of conflict with Washington. Ebrahim Zolfaghari, a spokesman for the Iranian military command, said that continued U.S. strikes in the Middle East could trigger a sharp jump in global oil prices.
Rising gold prices have forced the authorities in Ghana, the largest producer of this precious metal in Africa, to change the role of the state in the gold trade.
“Flower City” of Uzbekistan Namangan is hosting the 65th International Flower Festival from May 24 to July 12.
Official statistics records in the first quarter of 2026 an increase in the volume of goods transported (+15.1%) and their range (+14.7%). These indicators indicate the intensification of domestic and international trade. The growth in tonnage and range of cargo transportation is directly related to the increase in exports, where the leading exports are agro-products to the EU and Turkey.
The case of importing Brazilian chicken to Israel has taken an unexpected turn. The country’s chicken meat market remains closed to foreign products, and Baladi’s attempt to obtain permission to import chicken meat from Brazil, from where Israel has been importing beef for many years, has met with stiff resistance from local producers.
Foreign direct investment in China fell 10.3 percent year-on-year to 287.7 billion yuan in the first four months of 2026.
The process of adjusting international economic agreements will entail the modification, revision or even denunciation of certain trade agreements as the country moves towards European integration.
European sugar producers are facing deteriorating financial results and are forced to cut production and cooperation with farmers amid falling prices and market changes.
European stock exchanges went up sharply after the news about a possible deal between the US and Iran. Investors hope that the conflict will be at least partially frozen, which means lower risks for the global economy and the oil market.
Italian fashion holding Benetton continues to emerge from the protracted crisis, which has become one of the worst for the company in recent decades. At the end of 2025, the group managed to significantly reduce losses and come close to financial balance.
European businesses that have remained in Russia have cooled sharply in their assessments of the immediate future of the Russian economy. Whereas a year ago half of the companies believed in growth, now only 17% do. At the same time, the number of those who expect the situation to worsen has almost doubled.
The dollar fell on Monday as rising hopes led to lower yields and increased risk appetite. The weakening dollar and rising risk appetite was driven by recent news of progress in the US-Iran peace agreement, lower geopolitical tensions and falling oil prices, which reduced expectations of prolonged inflation.
August futures for Brent crude oil were $94.7 per barrel – 5.4% cheaper than the previous day’s close, according to data from the London-based ICE exchange. The last time Brent fell below $95 per barrel on April 24. The cost of U.S. WTI crude oil, shipped in July, fell by 5.77% – to $90.83 per barrel.
The US and Iran have moved closer to the biggest deal since the start of a new round of conflict in the Middle East. According to reports, the two sides have reached an “agreement in principle” to restore shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a key artery of the global oil market.
A delegation of Austrian parliamentarians will visit Moldova on May 25-27, in order to assess the efficiency of development projects financed with Austrian support.
Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister Mihai Popşoi participated in a conference on the promotion of trade and economic cooperation between Moldova and China, organized in Shanghai.
French President Emmanuel Macron took the initiative and unexpectedly called President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko. For the first time in four years.
