There have been no changes in legal relations between the Moldovan government and the investor of the Giurgiulesti port - Danube Logistics - regarding the state ownership of the port and land - the Ministry of Economy.
The department announced this, commenting on the information published by some media regarding the privatization / alienation / loss of the Giurgiulesti port. The ministry recalled that economic activity within the port is regulated by the Law on the Approval of the Investment Agreement “On the International Free Port of Giurgiulesti”, the Law on the International Free Port “Giurgiulesti” and the government decree on the activities of the International Free Port “Giurgiulesti”. The investment agreement on the Giurgiulesti port was concluded on December 24, 2004 between the Moldovan government and investors Azpterol (currently Bemol Retail), Azertrans (currently Danube Logistics), Azpetrol Refinery (currently Bemol Refinery). According to the investment agreement and the aforementioned regulations, the port and the land on which it is located belong to Moldova, and the function of managing the operational activities in the port belonged to Danube Logistics, which has the status of a general investor and port operator (a legal entity registered in Moldova), which has the right to organize, manage and operate the port area, including an oil terminal, a cargo terminal, related ancillary facilities, and create, own and operate infrastructure within the port. According to the information provided by the EBRD, from May 7, 2021, this financial institution became the sole ultimate beneficiary of Danube Logistics, the port of Giurgiulesti, the corresponding transaction was carried out outside Moldova. In this context, the Ministry of Economy and Infrastructure noted that there have been no changes in legal relations between the Moldovan government and the port's general investor, Danube Logistics, regarding the state's ownership of the port and land. It should be noted that earlier Danube Logistics denied speculation about the alleged "loss" of Moldova's port in Giurgiulesti after the EBRD acquired the Danube Logistics group of companies. As noted in its message, Danube Logistics, the operator of the Giurgiulesti port, is an economic agent from Moldova, wholly owned by foreign investors until the entry into force of the Investment Agreement in 2005. Since 2011, the only shareholder of Danube Logistics is the Dutch company Danube Logistics Holding BV, which retained this status after the acquisition of the Danube Logistics group of companies by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. // 09.06.2021 — InfoMarket
