Parliament voted in the first reading to declare the Giurgiulesti International Free Port a strategic port infrastructure objective and introduced new rules for companies and investors operating at the facility.
The proposed regulations set clearer conditions for the port’s general investor and resident companies and reduce the lease contract duration from 99 years to 49 years.
Under the initiative, the general investor and resident companies must return to the state all constructions built on the port’s territory and cover all costs related to changing the status of agricultural land into land designated for construction.
Starting in 2030, the general investor and resident companies operating in the Giurgiulesti International Free Port will operate under a regulatory regime aligned with legislation of the European Union. They will have to meet all financial obligations, may fall under the scope of the national Competition Law, and must submit annual audit reports.
During the plenary session, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economic Development and Digitalization Eugen Osmochescu presented details about the investment agreement and the contract signed between the state and the general investor. He emphasized that the new provisions strengthen the state’s position in its relationship with the port’s investors and residents.
According to the minister, since 2005 the lease royalty has been capped at $1,000 per year, which has been the only income the state has received from the lease contract. The draft law proposes that starting in 2030 the royalty payment will be set annually based on market prices. Osmochescu noted that under the current arrangement the state loses approximately 500,000 lei per year.
Statistical data show that by the end of 2025 authorities had registered 74 companies as residents of the port. In 2024 total investments exceeded $137 million, with the largest share—over $57 million—made by the general investor Danube Logistics.
On December 31, 2025, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development signed an agreement to sell Danube Logistics, the operator of the port, to the Romanian state-owned company Administratia Porturilor Maritime SA Constanta.