Starting from August 1, the US customs duty applied to products from Moldova will amount to 25%. The new tariff regime was announced last spring by the American administration, initially with 31% for batches from our country. In the meantime, the authorities in Chisinau assure that they will negotiate further with American partners, in order to obtain favorable conditions for Moldovan exporters, reports IPN.
Cristina Ceban, State Secretary at the Ministry of Economic Development and Digitalization, explained, during a broadcast on Radio Moldova, how these tariffs were arrived at and, respectively, the challenges faced by exporters.
“If we take the year 2023 as a reference, in the first half of this year, we had an increase of up to 10%. However, even before the announcement of the tariffs by the USA, in the first quarter we noticed a decrease of 40%. This was largely due to the increase in imports of sweet dessert wines on the American market, which in 2024 had a tenfold increase,” stated the Secretary of State.
Cristina Ceban emphasized that the uncertainty created by the new taxes has affected the conclusion of commercial contracts: “After the announcement of the tariffs, our exports have declined even more, and businesses have not had predictability, in order to maintain commercial relationships.”
At the same time, Ceban announced that tariffs have been reduced from 31% to 25% as a result of the technical dialogue held with the US Department of Commerce, and the Moldovan authorities continue negotiations to obtain favorable conditions.
The government has requested a grace period for the application of tariffs, to negotiate a possible bilateral agreement with the USA. “We do not yet have a response, but there is the possibility of this extension,” said the Secretary of State.
The new customs duties imposed by the USA will apply to all categories of Moldovan products exported to this market, but there may be differences depending on future bilateral negotiations. “For some products there may be a decrease in the tax, while for others it may remain the same,” said the Secretary of State of MDED.
The decision of the USA was communicated through a letter from the US President, Donald Trump, posted on his Truth Social account, addressed to President Maia Sandu. The American leader mentioned that tariffs may vary depending on the evolution of trade relations between countries and warned of reciprocal measures in case of imposition of similar tariffs by Moldova.
In 2024, the USA ranked 14th among Moldova’s trade partners. Currently, the authorities in Chisinau are exploring alternative markets, especially in the European Union, which accounts for 75% of Moldovan exports.
Moldovan exports to the USA include dessert wines, fruit juices, plastic devices, alcohol, pastry products, and textile confections.
