News about International trade

An expert group of the European Commission with the participation of representatives of Ukraine, Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia will discuss the consequences of disruptions in oil supplies through the Druzhba oil pipeline and alternative routes of fuel transportation (including the use of the Croatian Adriatic pipeline), Logos Press reported.

The Chinese government sees the current risks of the United States imposing tariffs against many countries as a chance to reshape international supply chains in its favor, reducing dependence on the U.S. market and strengthening its position in the European Union, the Persian Gulf and North America, Logos Press reported.

Hungary and Slovakia announced Wednesday that they have suspended diesel exports to Ukraine amid growing tensions over oil supplies, Logos Press reported.

A year ago, China stopped direct imports of liquefied natural gas from the United States amid an escalating trade war between the two world economic leaders. However, Chinese companies continued to buy LNG under long-term agreements with U.S. producers, Logos Press reports.

Swiss giant Holcim Ltd. announced the signing of a binding agreement to acquire Germany’s Xella Group for €1.85 billion (about $2.16 billion) back in October last year. The deal represents Holcim’s largest takeover in the last four years, according to Logos Press.

Bitcoin trading remained volatile on Thursday, rising to around $67,000 after briefly falling to around $65,900, according to Logos Press.

In recent years, the debate on the regulation of cross-border marketplaces such as Temu, Aliexpress and similar platforms has intensified in Moldova in the context of protecting the domestic market and competing with local retail.

Iute Group, a digital banking group operating in Southeast Europe, generated total revenue of EUR 124.6 million in 2025, while net profit increased to EUR 9.9 million. The Group’s consolidated balance sheet reached EUR 511 million, exceeding its annual target.

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.

The draft law on the country’s accession to the Agreement on Port State Control Measures to Prevent, Deter and Eradicate Illegal Fishing was approved by a government decision, Logos Press reported.

Bulgaria is preparing to receive the first deliveries of Argentine sunflower in the coming weeks. If all deliveries are realized according to schedule, Bulgaria will receive about 400 thousand tons of Argentine sunflower, Logos Press reported.

Demand for premium apples surged during the Chinese and Vietnamese New Year celebrations, according to Logos Press.

The Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime and Special Cases (PCCOCS) and border police uncovered a scheme in which a Moldovan company exported nearly 5 million lei worth of French wine to the United States over a five-year period with copyright infringement, Logos Press reported.

The size of the global fish and seafood trade industry is estimated at approximately $195 billion. There is no official estimate of fraud in this industry. However, empirical studies show that approximately 20% of trade in these products may be exposed to various types of fraud.

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.

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.

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.

Romania is a fairly large regional exporter of bananas, although the fruit does not grow in that country, according to Logos Press.

The ‘chicken crisis’ is exacerbating relations between Moldova and Ukraine on the ‘economic track.’ The Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers has threatened its Moldovan counterparts with mirror measures in connection with the suspension of poultry meat supplies from Ukraine to Moldova. Pressure on Moldova on the ‘European track’ is also possible, according to Logos Press.