News about International trade
The withdrawal of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from OPEC signals a strategic reversal and calls into question Gulf coordination and the future of the cartel.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on May 1 that next week he would raise duties on cars and trucks from the European Union to 25%. The reason for the increase in tariffs he called the EU’s non-compliance with the terms of the trade agreement. The US President did not specify what conditions we are talking about.
After more than 25 years of negotiations, a trade agreement between the European Union and the Mercosur countries of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay began to be temporarily applied on Friday.
In less than two weeks, from last Friday to this moment, onions on the Ukrainian market rose in price by an average of 40-45%. Ukrainian farmers were able to increase selling prices for onions for the first time since the beginning of February this year. On the whole, a cardinal increase in prices for this vegetable in Ukraine has not been recorded since mid-May 2025.
Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump will become co-owners of a Kazakh mining company that received $1.6 billion in U.S. government support. A shell company backed by Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump has agreed to merge with a critical minerals group that last year secured up to $1.6 billion in U.S. government support for tungsten mining in Kazakhstan.
“Moldova does not rely on one source or one route. We are building step by step a balanced and reliable energy supply portfolio that will ensure stability and predictability. It is crucial for us that this diversification is done at a sustainable price and that the security of supply for citizens remains an absolute priority,” Energy Minister Dorin Junghietu said.
For almost 20 years, a group of companies related to the owners of the Transnistrian holding Sheriff has been operating in Germany. Some of them are even directly controlled by businessmen Victor Gusan and Ilya Kazmala or members of their families.
The 12th Parliament has established two new friendship groups – with the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. The MPs made the corresponding decision at the plenary session on Thursday, April 30.
The National Energy Regulatory Agency (NERA) has set new maximum fuel prices that will be in effect from May 1-4.
On July 1, 2026, changes will go into effect to eliminate customs duties on most goods imported from the United States.
Oil prices hit a military high on Thursday following a report that the U.S. military will brief President Donald Trump on possible action against Iran. Prices rose after the Wall Street Journal quoted U.S. officials as saying that Donald Trump had instructed his aides to prepare for a prolonged blockade of Iran.
Digital gold and many other crypto assets fell in price on the evening of April 29 amid the Federal Reserve’s (Fed) decision to keep interest rates at current levels.
Moldovan scientists have outlined the main trends in Moldova’s economy. Despite the growth of certain sectors, Moldova’s economy faces serious external imbalances, which led to a record trade deficit of $7.1 billion in 2025.
Vasile Negru of Budesti produces coffins for the local market and for export.
An EU-Armenia summit will be held in Yerevan on May 4-5, where the sides will discuss deepening bilateral cooperation, regional security and key international challenges. This will be the first bilateral summit in the history of Armenia-EU relations and is expected to give a new impetus to the development of strategic partnership between the sides. Observers and international media have already described the upcoming event as “historic”.
Over 30 million euros from non-refundable European funds within the framework of the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) will be directed to the construction of a new border crossing point Ungheni (Moldova)-Ungheni (Iasi county, Romania).
On April 28, 2026, the Republic of Moldova and the Republic of Seychelles established diplomatic relations in the spirit of promoting bilateral cooperation and strengthening friendship.
February 2026 showed that the Moldovan grain market does not freeze in the off-season, but works due to stable stocks and long-term contracts. At that time, more than 112 thousand tons (worth more than 431 million lei) were shipped. These are high indicators for a “quiet” month. March answered the main question: was February an exception or is it a trend? The answer is that it is a trend, and with high dynamics.
Spring frosts in Ukraine resulted in the loss of about 50% of the crop of early stone trees. For this reason, apricots and cherries may rise in price by 30-50%.
As an effective tool to support the economic environment and reduce the final cost of goods, the Ministry of Economic Development and Digitalization promotes the use of a final destination customs regime. This measure allows the application of preferential tariff treatment to certain imported goods, provided that they are used for specific economic purposes.
