Western market crucial for Moldovan trade - economic expert

Chisinau, 20 December /MOLDPRES/ - The western market is crucial for the Moldovan trade, given that it brings qualitative changes and provide stability for the Moldovan business in the supply of goods and products. In 2017, good signals appeared in Moldova’s international commerce comparatively with the previous years, when a stagnation or little visible change was recorded, a programme manager at the Viitorul Institute, Viorel Chivriga, has said at a programme titled, 15 minutes of economic realism.  

According to the expert, all restrictions established by Russia since 2013 till present have influenced the activity of the business and budgetary revenues. Thus, after the signing of the Free Trade Agreement, results started appearing as to the diversification of exports and imports to other markets and from other markets.

”In 2017, the level of exports shows that goods and products can be supplied to EU  states and not only to the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). A 17-percent increase in the annual deliveries of goods and products to EU creates a friendly picture for the Moldovan business. The imports grew by 20 per cent. This is an outstanding outcome as a result of the Customs Service’s efficiency,’’ Chivriga said.  

Referring to the Free Trade Agreement with Turkey, which entered into force in 2016, the programme manager said that some voices were afraid of an avalanche of Moldovan goods and products from Turkey; yet, the increase was only of ten per cent, while the exports grew 1.6-fold in 2017 against 2016.

At the same time, Romania has become the trade partner with the biggest share in the Moldovan trade and outran by far Russia, which had been the main commercial partner several years ago. Italy and Germany come next after the Romania; these two countries show stability in the trade with Moldova. On the other hand, the CIS states, although recorded an increase in the trade, undertake a few measures to boost the commercial relations.  

”The Customs Service plays an important role in boosting the trade. One can notice efforts of approximating the legislation, which is simple, connected to regulation, not to imposing barriers. This gets the business closer to the state’s institutions. Or, the appearance of joint border checkpoints at the western and eastern borders will diminish the complexity of the export procedures and will shorten the time economic agents are losing in customs,’’ Chivriga noted.

In conclusion, the programme manager said that, following the change of the legislation, qualitative changes appeared, as well as ones concerning standardization. In 2017, over 16,000 standards were taken over – a qualitative change, which remove the old standards inherited from the USSR and provide the Moldovan business with competitive markets.  

Data by the National Statistics Bureau shows that that the export in Moldovan goods supplied to European Union countries grew by 19.9 per cent in the first ten months of 2017 against the same period of the year before, up to 1.254,6 billion dollars. The import of goods from EU states increased by 19.7 per cent, up to 1.945,1 billion dollars. In the first ten months of this year, the goods imports from CIS grew by 10.7 per cent and the imports – by 16.5 per cent.  

(Reporter V. Bercu, editor A. Raileanu)