News about International trade
Estonia will open an embassy in Chisinau in the second half of this year. Moldovan Prime Minister Alexandru Munteanu welcomed this decision by the Tallinn authorities.
The “diplomatic war” between Romania and Russia is intensifying—Romania’s consul general in St. Petersburg has been declared persona non grata, and the consulate itself will be closed.
Moldova has become an important route for commercial, transportation, and energy flows connecting Ukraine with the European Union, and it is ready to continue strengthening its role as a logistics hub to support the recovery of its neighboring country.
The European currency is rapidly losing value, having given up all the gains it made in the spring. Against the backdrop of a strengthening dollar, the euro could fall to $1.10. Investors are becoming increasingly convinced that falling oil prices and clear signs of a slowdown in the Old World’s economy are reducing the likelihood of another tightening of the European Central Bank’s monetary policy.
The loss of foreign currency revenue for Ukraine’s ports due to infrastructure damage caused by Russian missile strikes amounts to $900 million. And this figure could rise even further in the future.
JPMorgan has sharply lowered its forecast for Brent crude oil prices over the next six quarters. The bank believes that falling demand is a more significant factor than the decline in inventories.
The European Union has completed the approval process for a trade agreement with the United States, which is expected to reduce the risk of a new round of tariff disputes between the two economic blocs.
As part of his working visit to Austria, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economic Development and Digitalization Eugen Osmochescu met with Gerd Müller, Director-General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), Gerd Müller, during which the Country Partnership Program for the Republic of Moldova for 2026–2032 was officially signed.
The price of the leading cryptocurrency has fallen by 20% since the beginning of summer.
The state-owned enterprise “Moldovan Railways” (CFM) has resumed container transport by rail through the port of Giurgiulești. The company successfully completed an operation to transship containers between tracks of different gauges.
The draft budget, tax, and customs policy for 2027 proposes a number of amendments to the Customs Code (CC). Some of the changes pertain to preferential treatment, sanctions, and cooperation between the Customs Service (CS) and international organizations.
The Italian fashion house Valentino will receive additional financial support from its shareholders after the company ended 2025 with an operating loss and an increase in its debt burden.
Prime Minister Alexander Munteanu will pay a working visit to Gdańsk, Poland, from June 24 to 26, 2026, where he will take part in the Conference on the Reconstruction of Ukraine—URC2026.
While shopping malls are losing customers, investors across Europe are betting on a simpler format—retail parks on the outskirts of cities. Of the 34 billion euros invested in European retail in 2025, retail parks accounted for 41% of the total. By comparison, shopping streets attracted 34%, while shopping malls accounted for just 25%.
Venezuela is undergoing the largest debt restructuring in its history as it prepares to officially recognize its national debt of approximately $240 billion. This step became possible following a change in government and the removal of President Nicolás Maduro, which paved the way for the lifting of international sanctions and the start of negotiations with creditors. The investment bank Centerview Partners was brought in to develop a plan to return the national debt to a sustainable level.
The government has approved the start of negotiations on the signing of an agreement between the Republic of Moldova and the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina on international road transport of passengers and cargo.
Russian authorities are discussing the possibility of imposing a complete ban on diesel fuel exports. Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak made this announcement at a meeting attended by President Putin, according to the government press service and several Russian media outlets.
For the first time, the European Union has publicly indicated the possibility of treating Moldova and Ukraine separately in the EU accession process, even though Brussels has viewed the two countries as a single political package since the start of the war in Ukraine.
On Tuesday, June 23, another shipment of fertilizer from Russia to Armenia was transported through Azerbaijani territory.
During an official inspection at the Moldovan border, inspectors from the National Food Safety Agency (ANSA) discovered a shipment (21.5 metric tons) of rotten potatoes and will return it to the importer.
