Economic working groups held new meeting

Today the second meeting this year of the Economic Working Groups took place at the OSCE Mission to Moldova headquarters in Chișinău with the participation of sector experts from both banks of the Dniester River.

During the meeting, experts of the Ministry of Economic Development and Digitization, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Environment, the State Tax Service, the Customs Service, the Environmental Agency, the Environmental Protection Inspectorate and the National Food Safety Agency addressed issues related to the uniform application throughout the country of customs, tax, environmental and food safety legislation, aligned with European standards, in the context of implementing activities aimed at ensuring the gradual integration of the Transnistrian region into the national economic, customs, fiscal and legal space.

Representatives of Chișinău also informed those from Tiraspol about the developments in the dialogue between the Republic of Moldova and the European Union regarding the application of EU import quotas for steel products originating in the Republic of Moldova. At the same time, practical aspects of the application of value added tax and excise duties were discussed, as a continuation of the discussions held during the 5 May sectoral economic working group meeting.

A separate topic discussed concerned the implementation of the provisions of the draft Government decision on the application of VAT and excise duties on goods brought into the territory of the Republic of Moldova by economic operators based in the Transnistrian region, which is intended to ensure the implementation of Law No. 1417/1997 on the implementation of Title III of the Tax Code, Law No. 1054/2000 on the implementation of Title IV of the Tax Code, as well as Law No. 67/2026 on the establishment of the Convergence Fund and amendment of certain normative acts (value added tax and excise duties).

In this regard, representatives of the Ministry of Finance explained the provisions of the draft normative act and their impact on citizens and economic agents in the region, emphasizing that the proposed measures aim to strengthen tax equity, eliminate competitive distortions and increase budget revenues. At the same time, it was underlined that the financial resources collected will be used through the Convergence Fund to modernize infrastructure, develop projects and programs to support the business environment and citizens in the Transnistrian region, which will be financed both from domestic sources and from external contributions, as well as from taxes paid by economic agents from the left bank of the Dniester and Bender.

During the dialogue, experts from Chișinău highlighted that the gradual approach will allow the business environment to adapt, mitigate the immediate financial impact on prices and prevent potential trade disruptions. To this end, priority is being given to categories of goods that have a low social impact on final consumers, so that the measure can be implemented without generating major fluctuations in prices for everyday consumer products.

It was also mentioned that, as part of the fiscal harmonization process, categories of goods with a higher social impact are to be analyzed, including those concerning mass-consumption goods or products essential for the population and economic activity. Through this strategic phasing, the aim is to achieve fiscal policy objectives in a balanced manner, while simultaneously ensuring an increase in tax compliance and the maintenance of economic and social stability.

During the meeting, experts from the Ministry of Environment presented to the Tiraspol representatives the legal requirements for the issuance of integrated environmental permits and environmental permits for economic operators in the Transnistrian region, under the conditions set by Law No. 227/2022 on industrial emissions, stressing the obligation of all economic agents registered with the Public Services Agency to comply with national legislation.

Regarding control activities carried out on economic agents in the region, representatives of the National Food Safety Agency informed the Tiraspol experts about the provisions of national legislation in the field, highlighting the need for the structures in the region to unconditionally ensure free movement for the institution’s staff and the removal of all artificial and illegal barriers.

During the meeting, issues related to the collection of customs duties connected to commercial activities, the export of strategic goods by enterprises in the region, and the restoration of traffic on the bridge over the Dniester between the localities of Bâcioc and Gura Bâcului were also addressed.

The discussions took place in a constructive atmosphere, with participants expressing their openness to continuing the dialogue in order to resolve existing economic issues for the benefit of residents on both banks of the Dniester.