News about Regulation

Large state-owned companies will be the first “voluntary” participants in the capital market to set an example for the private sector on how to conduct an IPO on the local stock market. Moldovan authorities plan to list a number of state-owned enterprises on the stock market. As part of these reforms, companies are beginning to prepare for listing on the new International Stock Exchange of Moldova, which is scheduled to launch in the summer of 2026.

One and a half thousand employees of the state-owned enterprise “Calea Ferată a Moldovei” (CFM) were laid off last year. Nicolae Mîndra, State Secretary at the Ministry of Infrastructure and Regional Development, explained that this decision was necessary to optimize the company’s operations in line with current freight and passenger traffic volumes, as well as to reduce inefficient assets.

Parliament today passed, on its second reading, a bill designating the consolidation of the General Prosecutor’s Office building, located at 73 Ștefan cel Mare și Sfânt Boulevard, as a public utility of national importance.

Major EU countries are discussing options for a major overhaul of the diplomatic service. In essence, this amounts to the de facto dismantling of Kaia Kallas’s department—she may be stripped of her authority and control over 140 diplomatic missions.

The transit of fuel from outside the EU through Romania to Ukraine and Moldova is hampered by the requirement to provide a financial guarantee for transport within the EU.

Parliament has passed a law that will help farmers and artisans protect the uniqueness of their products. This applies to products with a “geographical indication”—for example, when cheese or jam is named after the region where it is produced using traditional recipes. Previously, obtaining such official recognition was extremely difficult due to red tape, but the new rules simplify the process.

Farmers in the Rezina district have announced their intention to join the protest organized by their colleagues from the Fălești and Cahul regions. The designated gathering point for people and farm equipment is the entrance to the village of Buseuca, on the Orhei-Rezina highway. The protest will take place in all three locations tomorrow, June 12, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Parliament passed the draft law on gigabit infrastructure in its second reading. This legislative initiative marks a shift from a model focused on access to private property to a model for developing an integrated ecosystem. The goal of the reform is to reduce the time and costs required to expand fiber-optic and 5G networks.

A package of amendments to the Competition Law No. 183/2012, designed to bring the law into line with EU regulations (including the ECN+ Directive), introduces fundamental changes to the rules of the game in the Moldovan market. First and foremost, these changes will involve stricter fines and increased liability for businesses. The maximum fines for violations of fair competition rules have been increased from 5% to 10% of the company’s total turnover for the previous year.

Lawmakers are proposing a mechanism that would give local authorities the right to remove abandoned vehicles, thereby clearing courtyards and parking lots in the country’s major cities.

In May 2026, the Agency for the Development and Modernization of Agriculture (ADMA) allocated funding to support investments by 56 farmers. The total value of the contracts amounted to approximately 62 million lei. By comparison, in May 2025, 34 beneficiaries received funding totaling about 23 million lei. Most of the funds were allocated for the purchase of agricultural machinery and equipment.

U.S. President Donald Trump wants to buy an island for the United States.

Starting July 1 of this year, new European Union regulations will take effect requiring the payment of a customs duty of €3 per item for shipments originating from non-EU countries.

The Ministry of Infrastructure and Regional Development plans to launch urban passenger rail service in Chisinau, and subsequently in Balti, using the existing rail infrastructure.

On the morning of June 10, officials from the National Anti-Corruption Center (CNA) conducted searches at several locations in the Ialoveni and Telenesti districts. Investigators are conducting a criminal investigation into a case involving the director of a construction company, technical managers, construction site managers, and two representatives of the local administration, who are suspected of abuse of office in connection with an infrastructure project in the Ialoveni district.

Today, June 10, the border authorities of the Republic of Moldova, Romania, and Ukraine signed a Joint Declaration on Cooperation in the Fight Against Transnational Crime.

The chaotic rollout of the new European Entry/Exit System (EES) risks being prolonged: Frontex acknowledges that it could take up to two years for the system to fully stabilize. In the meantime, passengers at the Schengen area’s external borders continue to face long lines, varying procedures, and glitches in the collection of biometric data.

The Moldovan authorities and their Swiss partners have launched a new phase of the STIC project, valued at nearly 80 million lei, aimed at simplifying regulatory requirements for businesses and increasing transparency in interactions between the private sector and government agencies.

The media market will be regulated by a new law that establishes an updated legal framework for media organizations, defines the concepts of market concentration and editorial responsibility, and provides for measures to ensure the transparency and independence of journalism.

As of the end of 2025, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) was conducting 535 active investigations in Romania, involving an estimated loss of €6.05 billion.