Year after year, the number of economic bridges across the Prut River continues to rise. More and more Romanian investors are looking confidently towards the Moldovan market, while Moldovan entrepreneurs are crossing the Prut not only to export their products but also to establish new businesses in Romania. In the TVR Moldova‘s article, it is explored how Moldovan pastries have become a business theme and what attracts Romanian investors to Moldova.
Victor Nistorică, Bakery Administrator, Republic of Moldova
For the past five years, Victor Nistorică has been a co-owner of a bakery in Bardar. Operating in the local market since 2000, the bakery specializes in traditional products such as bread, bagels, pastries, and sponge cakes. After conquering the domestic market, the owners decided it was time to expand internationally. Since last year, Bardar’s pastries have found their way onto the tables of consumers in Romania.
“We see on the other side that when we talk to a representative of a retail chain and say that we are from the Republic of Moldova, we have a greater opening. The political bridge will be the last because if we manage to build economic and cultural bridges, and this is already happening quite intensively, then any subsequent stage will come naturally,” Said NistoricĂ.
The entrepreneur acknowledges that it is not easy to conquer a European market, but it is not impossible.
Sergiu Harea, President, Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Romania is the country helping to create joint ventures to access multiple markets. The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Moldova has signed 14 collaboration agreements with the county chambers of commerce and the national chamber of Romania.
“We hope that next year things will settle down, considering regional peace, and we will have a growing economic cooperation, at least 10%, and also investment. Together, we aim to enter third-party markets. We hope to start negotiations for Moldova’s accession to the EU, and then EU programs in Moldova will intensify, leading to the adoption of Romania’s experience,” Claims Harea.
Currently, over 1500 companies with mixed or purely Romanian capital are present in the Republic of Moldova. Their investments in social capital exceed 6 billion lei, ranking Romania second among the main investors in the Republic of Moldova.
Bogdan Pîrvu, Entrepreneur, Romania
Bogdan Pîrvu manages a company in Romania that produces paints and varnishes, and since last year, he has decided to make his first exports to the Republic of Moldova.
“We thought of a nearby market with consumer preferences. It’s a market we want to be into a greater extent than we are now. We started exports from Romania to the Republic of Moldova last May. It was our first delivery operation. Since then, orders are repeating, coming in a continuous form,” States Pîrvu.
The two states have signed 180 treaties in various fields. Romanian experience is a significant advantage for the Republic of Moldova, especially in the policies and tools for developing the national economy.
Dumitru Alaiba, Minister of Economic Development and Digitalization
“Romania is the main investor in the Republic of Moldova, both in terms of Romanian capital and trade. Every fourth euro in our foreign trade is with Romania. Romania is one of the priority countries for us to attract investments. It’s just about crossing the Prut and offering opportunities and jobs here,” Claimed Minister Alaiba.
Romania is the Republic of Moldova’s main economic partner, accounting for almost 30% of the value of trade. It is the only country with which the Republic of Moldova has a positive trade balance: what we import is roughly equal to what we export. In 2022, the volume of trade between the two Romanian states reached $3.5 billion, including the transistrian region, compared to $2.5 billion in 2021.
Republic of Moldova – Romania Trade (January-October 2023):
- Total: $2.016 billion (excluding the transistrian region)
- Exports to Romania: $1.03 billion
- Imports from Romania: $974 million
Year 2022:
- Total: $2.88 billion (excluding the transistrian region)
- Exports to Romania: $1.2 billion
- Imports from Romania: $1.6 billion