News about International trade
EU restrictions on short-term rentals have not stopped the market: it continues to grow at nearly double-digit rates and is approaching the 1 billion overnight stays mark.
The Union of Sugar Producers of Moldova (UPZM) and the Association of Sugar Beet Producers of Moldova call on the government to “urgently resume the procedure of approving the decree on the regulation of sugar imports”. The draft of this document provided for the indefinite exemption of sugar from the free trade regime under the agreement between Moldova and CEFTA countries. A week ago, the draft was withdrawn, the State Chancellery said. The reasons were not given, but apparently one of them was the absence of a positive opinion from the Competition Council.
Global container shipping giant, Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), has announced the launch of a new Europe-Red Sea-Middle East express service linking key European ports with Saudi Arabia and other regional hubs.
The National Museum of Moldovan History hosted the public presentation of the project “7000 Years with Wine” – an initiative that brings together winemakers, economists, historians, marketers and designers. The project is realized by enthusiasts who are convinced that Moldovan wine has a history that the whole world should hear.
The inauguration of Central African Republic (CAR) President Faustin-Arkange Touadera on March 30, 2026 in the capital Bangui has suddenly become one of the high-profile topics of international politics.
Contrary to expectations, the monthly export of apples this spring in Moldova is not increasing, but decreasing. In April 2026, Moldova exported 10.2 thousand tons of apples, which is less than a month earlier (10.8 thousand tons). Moreover, this year, March exports of Moldovan fruit were below the five-year average for this month.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan touched upon Armenian-Azerbaijani relations, the unblocking of regional communications and the prospects for international peace in his opening speech at the 8th European Political Community Summit.
OPEC+ members raised their combined oil production targets for June by 188,000 bpd after the UAE left the group. Seven key countries – Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Algeria and Oman – agreed to increase the volumes.
Moldova will host a ministerial session of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers in Chisinau on 14-15 May. The event will mark the end of the country’s chairmanship in this organization.
European leaders are arriving in Yerevan to participate in the 8th European Political Community (EPC) summit to be held on Monday, May 4. Moldovan President Maia Sandu arrived together with Romanian President Nicusor Dan – they arrived on one special flight.
The European Beekeepers’ Association (EBA) urges the European Commission to take emergency action by temporarily excluding Turkey, Ukraine and Russia from the list of third countries allowed to import bees. The reason is the detection of a dangerous pest – the mite Tropilaelaps spp. in these countries (as well as in Georgia and Belarus, with the prospect of rapid westward migration).
Kazakhstan is able to occupy a strategically important place in the global competition for mineral resources against the backdrop of the US-China standoff.
Iran’s Central Bank and the IRGC are using the country’s largest crypto exchange to convert dollars. A Reuters investigation found that it processed transactions worth tens and hundreds of millions of dollars related to sanctioned groups, including the Central Bank of Iran and the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
The Maritime Agency of the Republic of Moldova will get new powers to assess and manage risks of foreign vessels. This is provided for by a package of changes aimed at harmonizing national regulations with EU standards.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy said after a telephone conversation with Robert Fitzo that the Slovak prime minister would support Ukraine in the EU membership issue. He also said that he had invited Fitzo to Kiev, and the latter, in turn, invited him to Bratislava. Both leaders accepted the invitations.
US President Donald Trump has announced plans to significantly reduce the number of US troops stationed in Germany.
Japanese Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications Yoshimasa Hayashi is visiting Moldova during May 2-3, 2026, in order to strengthen bilateral relations and cooperation in strategic fields.
Romanian President Nicusor Dan said he doubts that the project of complete substitution of Russian gas with American LNG is economically sound because it requires serious infrastructure costs.
In April, the volume of Ukrainian grain shipments by rail to Poland and Romania almost halved. Whereas railroad deliveries of grain from Ukraine to Hungary remained at a stable high level. This was discussed during an online meeting between representatives of Ukrzaliznytsia JSC and participants of the agricultural market.
Moldovan President Maia Sandu will participate in the 8th summit of the European Political Community (EPC), which will take place in Yerevan on May 4. Within the framework of the event, the head of state will particularly touch upon the issues of countering hybrid threats.
