Moldova

Relation

On 24 March 2023, EFTA and the Republic of Moldova reached an agreement on a comprehensive free trade agreement. Further details can be found in a Chapter by Chapter Fact sheet on the free trade agreement.

In 2021, EFTA and Moldova launched their negotiations towards a free trade agreement. Parties had formalized their shared ambition of strengthening their economies by signing a Joint Declaration on Cooperation in Geneva, Switzerland, on 24 November 2017.

Summary

As an ambitious and broad-based Free Trade Agreement, the EFTA-Moldova Agreement covers trade in goods and services, establishment, intellectual property rights, competition, government procurement, trade and sustainable development, as well as legal and horizontal provisions. For the first time, it also contains a chapter on e-commerce.

Trade between the parties has been growing exponentially over the last ten years. In 2022, total trade reached USD 94 million between the EFTA States and the Republic of Moldova, of which USD 34 million represented imports from Moldova and USD 60 million were exports from the EFTA States. Exports from EFTA States to Moldova had an average annual growth rate of 21.9% over the last five years.

Negotiations towards the comprehensive Free Trade Agreement were preceded by a Joint Declaration on Cooperation, signed in November 2017. At a Joint Committee meeting held in May 2018, opportunities to strengthen economic relations and enhance cooperation were further explored. Between March 2021 and March 2023, five full negotiation rounds and several intersessional meetings were held.

Free Trade Agreement

Table of Contents

EFTA-Moldova Free Trade Agreement

Annexes and Record of Understanding

Trade in Goods	Annex I	Rules of Origin and Administrative Cooperation	Appendix A	Alternative Applicable Rules of Origin
	Annex II	Schedule of Tariff Commitments Moldova to EFTA
	Annex III	Schedule of Tariff Commitments - Iceland and Moldova
	Annex IV	Schedule of Tariff Commitments - Norway and Moldova
	Annex V	Schedule of Tariff Commitments - Switzerland and Moldova
	Annex VI	Trade Facilitation
	Annex VII	Mandate Sub-Committee on Trade in Goods
Trade in Services	Annex VIII	Schedules of Specific Commitments - Cover Page
			Appendix 1	Moldova
			Appendix 2	Iceland
			Appendix 3	Liechtenstein
			Appendix 4	Norway
			Appendix 5	Switzerland
	Annex IX	Lists of MFN exemptions - Cover Page
			Appendix 1	Moldova
			Appendix 2	Iceland
			Appendix 3	Liechtenstein
			Appendix 4	Norway
			Appendix 5	Switzerland
	Annex X	Financial Services
	Annex XI	Telecommunications Services
	Annex XII	Movement of Natural Persons Supplying Services
	Annex XIII	Maritime Transport
Establishment	Annex XIV	List of Reservations - Cover Page
			Appendix 1	Moldova
			Appendix 2	Iceland
			Appendix 3	Liechtenstein
			Appendix 4	Norway
			Appendix 5	Switzerland
IPR	Annex XV	Protection of Intellectual Property
			Appendix	Mutual Recognition and Protection of Geographical Indications, Appellations of Origin and Indications of Source
Governement Procurement	Annex XVI	Governement Procurement

Joint Declaration on Cooperation

The Joint Declaration on Cooperation (JDC) addresses cooperation on trade-related issues such as exchange of information on trade in goods and services, customs and origin matters, technical barriers to trade, intellectual property rights, public procurement markets, competition, and trade and sustainable development.

Furthermore, the Joint Declaration on Cooperation aims to promote private sector trade and investment cooperation.

A Joint Committee is established which provides the EFTA States and Moldova with a forum and a practical framework to review their cooperation, discuss any other issue of mutual interest and formulate appropriate recommendations.

The Joint Declaration on Cooperation provides that the EFTA States and Moldova shall, when conditions permit, jointly examine actions to be taken in view of establishing a free trade area between them.

EFTA-Moldova Joint Declaration on Cooperation

Statistics

For EFTA-Moldova trade statistics, see EFTA Trade Statistics Tool

Trade Statistics

For EFTA-Moldova trade statistics, please visit this page

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