News about International trade
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni went on an unannounced visit to the Persian Gulf countries. She became the first Western leader to visit the Gulf states since the start of the Iran war.
SINGAPORE – Recent energy crises, particularly the war with Iran, have shown how vulnerable many countries are to conflict, disruption and coercion. Not surprisingly, governments around the world are rushing to rethink their diversification and energy transition strategies.
A group of Moldovan MPs paid a visit to Georgia at the invitation of the Georgian side. The delegation consisted of Igor Dodon, Bogdan Tsirdia, Petru Burduja (PSRM), Vasile Costiuc, chairman of the parliamentary faction “Democrația Acasă” and Olga Ursu, deputy chairman of the parliamentary faction “Alternativa”.
Moldovan wine company Purcari Wineries said Friday that its Romanian subsidiary Crama Ceptura has signed an agreement for the full acquisition of the Romanian company CaraprodVin, located in the commune of Varstecoiu, Vrancea county.
In March, global food prices rose significantly. The main drivers of the rise in prices were high energy prices and a sharp increase in the cost of freight transportation, provoked by the military conflict in the Middle East. As a result, the average value of the Food Price Index (FPI) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) increased by 2.4% compared to February.
Authorities in Singapore have announced plans to build new gold vaults to house bullion from other central banks, according to Logos Press.
The French CMA CGM vessel became the first Western European ship to pass the Strait of Hormuz since the Iranian war began. This may encourage other carriers to resume voyages if the corridor proves reliable in the coming days.
The participants of the Pria Export-Import conference, held in Chisinau, talked about how to export their products, what opportunities and obstacles exist for this purpose.
A flurry of publications in the European press followed the denunciation of the CIS Agreement by the Moldovan parliament. Western media regarded it as another step in the process of distancing Chisinau from Moscow and strengthening the country’s European course. In some publications there are also alternative assessments.
As of April 1, 2026, the transition period for working with the SD CEMT digital system, a platform for processing and controlling international freight permits, has ended.
Moldova denounced the CIS Agreement, the relevant Protocol and the organization’s Charter. Thus, the country has finally completed its withdrawal from the CIS statutory bodies. The relevant bill was passed on Thursday, April 2, with 54 votes of the ruling PAS party, 5 votes of Vasile Costiuc’s Democrația Acasă faction and one vote of the Alternativa bloc.
Kernel, the world’s largest sunflower oil producer and Ukraine’s largest agricultural holding company, has agreed to acquire 100 percent of shares in the agricultural company Enselco controlled by Andriy Verevskyy, the chairman of Kernel’s board of directors. This is stated in the company’s announcement on the Warsaw Stock Exchange.
The National Energy Regulatory Agency (NERA) has set new maximum fuel prices that will be in effect tomorrow, April 3.
Former Moldovan Prime Minister Ion Sturza believes that real economic relations between Moldova and Romania started only a few years ago.
The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has paralyzed maritime transport, causing ad hoc fertilizer shortages and a spike in energy prices. However, for the potato and ‘chip’ industry worldwide, this means sharply reduced margins and operational uncertainty for the whole of the coming season. The crisis will definitely affect the Moldovan potato industry.
Russian pipeline gas exports to Europe rose 22% year-on-year in March amid the crisis in the Middle East.
The Armed Forces Operational Command has denied that Poland is providing its airspace for “offensive actions against Russia”. This is a response to emerging reports claiming that Poland allegedly allowed Ukraine to attack Russian ports through its territory. Earlier, the authorities of the Baltic states also denied such theses.
On March 30, the EU Council gave final approval to a regulation on the creation of the European Talent Pool, a new platform that will connect non-EU job seekers with employers in the EU.
Iran is a significant producer of apples and apple concentrate regionally and even globally. So as hostilities in the Middle East escalated, some operators had a not-so-healthy hope that the lack of supply from Iran would convert into higher demand and prices for these commodities. But that has not happened.
The Romanian Cabinet of Ministers has decided to reduce the excise tax on diesel fuel. The government has not yet specified how much lower it will be, but, according to Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan, is “working hard on the calculations”.
