EBA Business Outlook 2025 // Moldovan economic development minister says accession to EU greatest economic opportunity for entrepreneurs

The accession to the European Union is not only a political goal, but the greatest economic opportunity for the entrepreneurs from Moldova. As we get closer to EU, the opportunities will become greater. Deputy PM, Economic Development and Digitalization Minister Dumitru Alaiba has made statements to this effect at the fourth edition of EBA Business Outlook 2025 – an event organized in Chisinau by the European Business Association in Moldova (EBA Moldova), with the financial support of the European Union.

The event brought together officials from Moldova and EU, local and international experts, as well as entrepreneurs. They discussed the process of accession to EU, macroeconomic and financial perspectives, the energy security and tendencies for the development of the business and attracting investments.

Dumitru Alaiba noted that the rapprochement with EU had been already bringing benefits for Moldova. Among them, there is the extended access to the European market, new opportunities of financing and higher standards, which turn businesses more competitive.

„ As we get closer to EU, the opportunities will become greater. Our future is not at a crossroad, but on a European highway of development, where each kilometer covered brings new investments, better paid jobs and stronger businesses,’’ Dumitru Alaiba said.

Another important subject discussed was the Economic Growth Plan for Moldova worth 1.9 billion euros, announced by the European Union.

„This Plan does not boil down only to roads, bridges and hospitals – although they are essential – but brings also a concrete support for entrepreneurs. Among our ambitious objectives, there are: the launch of 5,000 new enterprises, backing of 25,000 present businesses and support for 3,000 companies which export to EU,’’ Deputy Prime Minister Dumitru Alaiba said.

Attending the event, Romania’s Ambassador to Moldova Cristian-Leon Turcanu said that Romania stayed firmly committed to support Moldova on its European development way.

„We are here and we stay here, firmly committed to build, along with the pro-European authorities of Moldova, a predictable and attractive investment climate, a sound economy, able to develop freely and in an as precise as possible and direct synchronization on both banks of the Prut river. The presence of foreign companies from Romania here in Chisinau, the presence of the Romanian business in Moldova show, first of all, a high degree of congruency, as well as complementarity , when we talk about the economic development on the two banks of Prut,’’ the ambassador said.

EU is the principal sales market of the Moldovan products. In 2024, EU was the destination for over 67 per cent of the country’s exports. Moreover, due to the measures of liberalization of the trade with EU, approved in 2022, the export of certain products reached really impressive levels. An example to this effect is the export of sweet cherries, which grew from 74 tons in 2021 to 1,830 tons in 2024.

At the same time, EU is the biggest investor in Moldova. Thus, 81.5 per cent of the direct foreign investments come from the European Union, according to data for the 2023 year.