News about International trade

Iran demands payment for passage through the Strait of Hormuz in cryptocurrency.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered his cabinet to begin direct talks with Lebanon to disarm Hezbollah radicals and establish “peaceful relations” between the two countries.

The Romanian Cabinet of Ministers has approved additional budgetary financing of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure for 2026 in the amount of 281.626 million Romanian lei (1.1 billion Moldovan lei) from the Budgetary Reserve Fund. This amount is meant to increase the authorized capital of the National Company “Constanta Sea Ports Authority” S.A.

The Moldovan Parliament approved in the first reading a draft law providing for the abolition of customs duties on imports of most goods originating in the USA.

A two-week cease-fire agreement designed to halt the war in Iran has proved shaky.

On the world’s leading exchanges, quotations of wheat futures rose by 0.7%, partially recovering the preliminary fall caused by the “psychological relief” in the global grain market after the announcement of a truce.

The National Energy Regulatory Agency (ANRE) set new prices for basic fuels for April 10.

From now on, importers of small horned cattle have to take into account a number of requirements for accompanying documents. The Government approved the Regulation on the import of purebred breeding animals of sheep and goats to the Republic of Moldova.

The discovery of a gas field off Egypt’s Mediterranean coast coincided with a critical moment in the war in Iran.

The hope for a rapid de-escalation of the armed conflict and unblocking of commodity flows in the Persian Gulf zone has certainly provoked “exhalation of relief” of many subjects of the world agro-food business. In Moldova, the first ranks of those wishing to see “light at the end of the tunnel” are probably already occupied by producers of dairy products.

Canceling the state of emergency in the energy sector on the eve of the Easter holidays and in a difficult geopolitical situation would be an irresponsible step. This statement was made by Prime Minister Alexandru Munteanu. The Cabinet of Ministers has changed its mind to address the Parliament with an initiative to cancel the state of emergency.

Moldova appoints three new ambassadors. The Parliamentary Commission for Foreign Policy approved the respective conclusions on Wednesday, April 8. Sergiu Mihov is appointed Moldova’s ambassador to Japan; Igor Moldovan – to Kazakhstan; Victor Lapusneanu – Moldova’s permanent representative to the Council of Europe.

The constraints faced by businesses in the process of bringing the country in line with European standards were at the center of discussions at the meeting of the working group No. 2 on the platform of the Economic Council under the Prime Minister “Promoting green transition and cross-border trade”.

China has opened its market for imports of wheat flour from Ukraine. Negotiations on this issue between the authorities of the two countries lasted more than three years.

Representatives of Moldovan companies claim a number of systemic problems that affect their activities and limit the development of production, including tax burden, staff shortages and bureaucratic barriers. In particular, they advocate for the elimination of import taxes on raw materials used for local production.

Donald Trump has declined an invitation to come to the Bucharest Nine summit in the Romanian capital scheduled for May 13.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived in Damascus on his first visit since the fall of the Assad regime.

Romania no longer supplies gas to Ukraine.

Products traditionally considered healthy do not always live up to the image either. The National Agency for Food Safety (ANSA) informs the public about the detention and return to the manufacturer of a batch of imported pumpkin seeds weighing a total of 15 tons. The product posed a health risk to consumers.

Last month, external supplies of Moldovan apples amounted to 10.8 thousand tons. This is 500 tons lower than the export of the main “winter” fruit of Moldova in February this year. In March 2025, the country sent abroad 18.5 thousand tons, and in the first spring month of 2024 – almost 22 thousand tons of apples.