Expert-Grup

Moldovan Exports to the EU Trended Upwards in the First Two Years of DCFTA Implementation

Tuesday, 11 April 20178130 views
Moldovan Exports to the EU Trended Upwards in the First Two Years of DCFTA Implementation

Automatically translated summary. The full article is available in Romanian.

On 11 April in Chișinău, the Independent Think Tank “Expert-Grup” revisited the debated question of how Moldovan exports have evolved since the DCFTA took effect. At a public event, its experts said exports rose 6.9% in 2016 compared with 2014, with EU-bound sales more stable than those to other destinations.

Seven of the ten most important EU importers of Moldovan goods recorded positive trends. Romania remains the main partner with 25% of exports, followed by Italy (9.7%) and Germany (6.2%). Agri-food exports to the EU grew by about 25% in value, led by cereals, ethyl alcohol, wine and natural honey. Quotas for grapes and plums were almost fully used, while the apple quota remained unused. Non-agricultural exports fell 2.5% in value, though 68% rose in volume; textiles, clothing and footwear declined most because of weaker EU demand.

Contrary to fears of an invasion of EU food products, agri-food imports from the EU fell by 15%. Non-agricultural imports mainly meet the needs of industry and agriculture. The experts concluded that the positive results can last only if the competitiveness of Moldovan products grows, through technical and informational support for local producers. The event was part of a project run by CEPS, Expert-Grup, Reformatics and IER, supported by SIDA.

View the original article in Romanian