News about International trade
Experts agree that the Iranian crisis will significantly affect food prices in Europe. They will increase due to disruptions in fertilizer and energy supplies, as well as rising delivery costs and demand for biofuels.
WTO reform is a top priority for most member states, including the Republic of Moldova, and is considered necessary to adapt the organization to the new global economic realities and strengthen its core functions.
The G7 foreign ministers agreed to participate in the mission to secure the Strait of Hormuz, but only after the U.S. and Israel’s war with Iran is over.
Kiev customs officers have prevented 39 archaeological items of cultural value from being illegally sent outside Ukraine in international mail. Residents of Kharkiv, Prykarpattia and Vinnytsia regions tried to send them to the USA, France and Italy.
About 100 Moldovan companies since January this year have become participants in the MoveUp program, aimed at strengthening skills in logistics and transport.
Italian antitrust authority AGCM said on Friday it has launched an investigation into LVMH and its Sephora and Benefit Cosmetics units over the possible promotion of cosmetics aimed at adults to children and teenagers.
Exactly 20 years ago, Russia first imposed an embargo on Moldovan wines. Direct losses of winemakers are estimated at $300 to $500 million.
The war will affect international payment systems and capital markets more than is currently thought. It is naïve to think that if the Strait of Hormuz is opened, everything will work itself out. Petro-dollars may be replaced by the yuan or another global currency. And global mutual settlements between countries will no longer be based on single payment systems like SWIFT.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) said on Thursday that Moldova and North Macedonia are likely to be among the countries most affected by the war in the Middle East among the 40 countries in which the bank operates.
Iran’s oil exports have not collapsed since the outbreak of war, and oil prices have risen significantly. In addition, the country remains the only Middle Eastern producer of black gold whose tankers pass through the Strait of Hormuz unimpeded.
The government has approved a methodology that allows for prompt adjustment of passenger transportation tariffs depending on the rise in fuel prices. Infrastructure and Regional Development Minister Volodymyr Bolea said that the new mechanism will come into force immediately after its publication, i.e. on Thursday, March 26, in the afternoon. At the same time, compensations to carriers to reduce the burden on passengers are being discussed.
In 2025, the United States was the world’s largest producer of crude oil and condensate, producing 13.58 million barrels per day (mb/d), well ahead of Russia (9.87 mb/d) and Saudi Arabia (9.51 mb/d). Together, these three countries were responsible for 39% of global crude oil production in 2025.
The National Energy Regulatory Agency (NERA) has set new maximum fuel prices that will be in effect tomorrow, March 27.
Viktor Orbán’s threat announced yesterday has today materialized into a decree of the Hungarian government. On Thursday morning, portfolio.hu reported that the government announced a package of decrees to increase strategic gas reserves and, quoting the publication, to stop exporting natural gas to Ukraine.
The European potato market is facing a significant excess of supply over demand, forcing farmers to pay extra to dispose of the produce.
Romania’s first private airport project near Bucharest has attracted a Swiss investor to accelerate development and finance construction. It is about the future airport in Alexeni with a total investment of about €400 million.
Barley in Moldova is one of the most stable crops of the grain group in recent seasons. Its export volumes are moderately progressive, prices are growing. Not a typical, but striking fact: in the 2025/26 season, the average price of barley exceeded the average price of wheat. Nevertheless, the area of barley planted for the 2026 harvest in the country, according to experts of the Ministry of Agriculture, has not increased for a number of reasons.
The South Korean government is urgently putting the economy on crisis management rails in preparation for worst-case scenarios in the Middle East. The prolonged war in Iran and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz have dealt a huge blow to the country, which is critically dependent on energy imports.
The Moldovan Defense Ministry received a batch of Quantum System unmanned aerial vehicles from Germany. The equipment was donated as part of a project aimed at strengthening the operational capabilities of the National Army.
Iran’s strikes on the Ras Laffan gas hub in Qatar disrupted helium production and showed how the conflict is hitting technology and medicine beyond energy markets.
