Parliament changes rules for Giurgiulești Port: It will also get strategic status

Giurgiulești International Free Port could benefit from a new legal framework designed to stimulate investment and strengthen the strategic role of port infrastructure. Parliament today voted, in the first reading, on a draft law that provides for declaring the port a strategic port infrastructure facility.

The draft was presented in plenary by Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Economic Development and Digitalization Eugeniu Osmochescu. He announced that the draft law amending the Law on Giurgiulești International Free Port was developed by the Ministry of Economic Development and Digitalization and aims to ensure a more transparent, coherent, and predictable regulatory framework for companies and investors operating in the port.

"The history of this port begins in 1995, when the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development became financially involved in the development of the project, with a contribution of approximately 27.5 million dollars. The investment was made in a joint venture called ‘Terminal’, organized as a joint-stock company, which later went bankrupt. It is important to note that the Republic of Moldova did not provide state guarantees for that project; the only obligation was to ensure a certain volume of goods imported and exported through the port. At present, the legal framework regulating the activity of the Giurgiulești International Free Port is based on the Investment Agreement signed in 2004 between the Government of the Republic of Moldova and two legal entities with foreign capital registered in our country. Subsequently, in 2005, the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova approved this agreement by law. Also in 2005, the operating rules, as well as the legal and institutional framework of the port, were established. I believe we all have a shared responsibility—to protect the interests of the state of the Republic of Moldova, of its citizens, and of the business environment, whether we are talking about local or foreign investors. For this reason, we must ensure an efficient legal and institutional framework for the port’s activity, both for residents and for the general investor. As is known, in December 2025, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development—engaged in the development of the port since the 1990s—concluded an agreement under which it sold its stake to the National Company ‘Maritime Ports Administration’ Constanța. This company thus became the new operator of the port. In this context, the Government is proposing legislative changes aimed at clarifying and modernizing the operating framework of the Giurgiulești International Free Port, as well as protecting the interests of the state in relation to the general investor and port residents. Under the current legal framework, the port territory can reach up to 120 hectares in the area adjacent to Giurgiulești. The lease contract concluded on the basis of the 2004 agreement has a duration of 99 years, being valid until 2104. During this period, the general investor and residents may build and use port infrastructure on these lands. However, the law adopted in 2005 was valid for 25 years, until 2030. For this reason, some of the proposed amendments will enter into force starting in 2030, while most provisions will take effect immediately after the law is adopted," Osmochescu stated.

An important element is that, throughout the existence of the port, there have been numerous disputes—civil, administrative, and even criminal—between different actors involved in the project. These disputes were examined both in courts in the Republic of Moldova and in courts in other states, including in the Netherlands. At present, most of these disputes have been resolved either by final court decisions or by amicable settlements between the parties. The state of the Republic of Moldova was not a party to these disputes.

"It is also important to make a clear distinction between two entities: the Giurgiulești International Free Port and the State Cargo and Passenger Port, which is state-owned and managed by the state enterprise ‘Portul Ungheni’. This state port is not under concession and remains entirely the property of the Republic of Moldova. Although it is much smaller in area—approximately 0.6 hectares—compared to the 55 hectares currently used by the general investor in the free port, the state port has development potential, especially through attracting investment and modernizing infrastructure. The main purpose of the proposed legislative amendments is, first of all, to declare the Giurgiulești International Free Port a strategic port infrastructure facility for the Republic of Moldova. This is essential for the country’s foreign trade and for our access to the Black Sea via the Danube. The draft also seeks to harmonize the legal framework with current Moldovan legislation, including the provisions of the Civil Code on the right of superficies. Another important objective is to stimulate investment. According to public information, the new port operator—the National Company ‘Maritime Ports Administration’ Constanța—intends to invest at least 24 million euros in the development of the port in the near future. At the same time, the draft law introduces clearer rules for protecting state property. The land within the port is public property of the Republic of Moldova and will be explicitly declared part of the state’s public domain. At present, the lease contract is valid until 2104. Under the proposed amendments, the term will be reduced to 2075, in line with the general rules on the right of superficies, which provide for a maximum duration of 49 years," the minister added.

In addition, the draft clarifies the legal regime of constructions built on the port’s territory. Upon the expiry of the right of superficies, all constructions and works carried out on the land will become part of the land and will pass into the ownership of the state of the Republic of Moldova.

During the plenary session, Eugen Osmochescu noted that the new provisions will benefit the state in its relationship with the general investor and the port residents. The official pointed out that, from 2005 to the present, the fee paid to the state was set at a maximum of 1,000 dollars per year, this being the only income obtained from the lease contract. The draft law provides that, starting in 2030, the fee will be set annually according to market prices. According to the minister, the state is currently losing approximately 500 thousand lei per year.

Statistical data show that, at the end of 2025, 74 companies were registered as residents of the Giurgiulești International Free Port. At the end of 2024, the total value of investments exceeded 137 million US dollars, of which more than 57 million were made by the general investor, ICS ‘Danube Logistics’ SRL.

On 31 December 2025, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development signed the agreement to sell the company ‘Danube Logistics’, the port operator, to the National Company ‘Maritime Ports Administration’ SA Constanța.