Meeting of experts on economic and statistical issues held in Bender

The Government of the Republic of Moldova

On 16 December 2025, at the OSCE Mission headquarters in Bender, Moldova, a joint meeting of the working groups on economy took place, with the participation of experts on statistical issues from both banks of the Dniester.

Chisinau delegation was led by State Secretary of the Ministry of Economic Development and Digitalization Cristina Ceban.

Current topics in trade, economy, statistics, customs, and taxation were addressed at the meeting.

Experts from Chisinau presented the results of the dialogue held within the most recent Republic of Moldova - European Union (EU) Association Committee in Trade configuration and reiterated the commitment of the Republic of Moldova to uniformly apply the EU standards assumed and harmonized in the national legislation (internal market functioning, tariff quotas, trading rules, agricultural notifications, product promotion, etc.), implementing them throughout the entire territory of the country.

It was emphasized that the transposition of European legislation is not just a technical requirement, but an essential stage of adapting national mechanisms to EU standards, facilitating access to the European single market, and approaches and actions in this regard must be uniform on both banks of the Dniester.

Additionally, experts addressed methodological and practical aspects in the field of statistics, including coordinating processes of data collection, processing, analysis, and dissemination to ensure the compatibility of statistical indicators with international standards. The role of the self-assessment exercise of compliance of national legislation with EU regulations was highlighted, allowing for the identification of the level of harmonization and the establishment of priority actions for advancing the European course of the Republic of Moldova.

Regarding the alleged difficulties faced by some economic agents in the region during commercial-economic activities, Chisinau’s experts explained that the regulations of the current normative framework are implemented uniformly and non-discriminatorily throughout the entire territory of the country.

The meeting reaffirmed the importance of maintaining technical dialogue to clarify current issues.