Romania provides multidimensional assistance to the Republic of Moldova, with emphasis on the advancement of the European integration process, but also through joint infrastructure projects. At the same time, it was and is Moldova's main trading partner, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration notes in its annual report, IPN reports.
A draft law to replace the “Moldovan language” with “Romanian language” in all normative documents of the country, including the Constitution., was adopted through cooperation this year. Also, Moldova and Romania welcomed Ukraine’s decision to recognize Romanian as the official language for communication with the Romanian ethnic minority - a decision that resulted from the joint effort of Romania and Moldova.
As of April 15, 2023, the border and customs authorities of the Republic of Moldova and Romania have implemented coordinated control at the Leușeni-Albița border crossing point, on entrance to Romania.
The three bilateral agreements signed in Chisinau on May 9, 2023 provide for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of cross-border bridges over the Prut River: Leuşeni (MD) – Albiţa (RO), Cahul (MD) – Oancea (RO), and Sculeni (MD) – Sculeni (RO). The works will be financed by the Government of Romania until the end of 2027 and are part of the National Strategy “European Moldova 2030”.
The first tranche (about €10 million) of the non-reimbursable assistance of €100 million was partially disbursed in 2023, for projects in education and infrastructure.
In the Republic of Moldova, there are 1,592 enterprises with Romanian capital and their invested capital totals 8 billion lei. Thus, Romania tops the rankings of the main foreign investors in the Republic of Moldova by the volume of investments and also by the number of enterprises operating in the country.
In January-October 2023, Moldova’s exports to Romania totaled US$1.2 billion, while imports from Romania added up to about US$1.1 billion, with the trade balance being in favor of Moldova.
In the European context, Romania has comprehensively supported the Republic of Moldova, based on the experience gained during its own accession negotiations. For this purpose, numerous professional training courses initiated by the Romanian Diplomatic Institute were organized in partnership with Romania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Agency for International Development Cooperation (RoAid). At the beginning of October, Vasile Puşcas, former chief negotiator for Romania’s accession to the European Union, visited Chisinau and shared his experience with MFAEI employees, holding also a public lecture at the Moldova State University.
