Over the past 4 years, Moldova has almost doubled its exports of services - from $1 billion 278 million in 2020 to $2 billion 440 million in 2023.
This was announced by Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Economic Development and Digitalization Dumitru Alaiba, noting that this means the emergence of tens of thousands of well-paid jobs here at home. "When we say that we are building an economy based on services, we mean exactly this. We have competitive advantages that we use. Today, service exports account for 42% of Moldova’s total exports, and in the next few years we will exceed 50%. It's about transport services, tourism, telecommunications and information technologies, processing of raw materials and business services. And most importantly, we export more services than we import," Dumitru Alaiba emphasized. According to him, among the exports of services, the greatest growth in 2023, compared to 2022, was registered by: business services with an emphasis on management and professional consulting - by 31% - to $246 million; IT services – by 23% - to $629 million; transport services - by 7% - to $540 million. The Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Economic Development and Digitalization noted that this is another confirmation that the economic growth strategy should be focused on the development of the service sector. "This is the economy we are building. Through internal and external actions. For this reason, we are focusing on liberalizing and expanding markets for our products and services," he said. Dumitru Alaiba recalled that the authorities extended the operation of the IT park until 2035, maintaining a single tax of 7% as a state guarantee, thereby ensuring predictability and an attractive fiscal environment for the IT and BPO sector. Moldova has free trade agreements with the EU, with the UK, and recently ratified the Free Trade Agreement with member countries of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). These agreements not only liberalize trade in goods, but also facilitate trade in services and e-commerce, thereby opening up new opportunities. The Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Economic Development and Digitalization emphasized that Moldova is an active participant in the General Agreement on Trade in Services under the auspices of the WTO, where it strives to liberalize trade in services, ensuring equal and non-discriminatory treatment of all members. At the WTO Ministerial Conference in Abu Dhabi, Moldova supported the extension of the E-Commerce moratorium, which prohibits customs duties on electronic transmissions, which is a key benefit for our businesses, including small and medium-sized businesses, facilitating their active participation in global e-commerce. "We have introduced new activities in the IT sector, such as call center services and HR services, with an export orientation, thereby ensuring the diversification and growth of our technology sector. We produce and export products of the highest quality. But we are also exporting more and more services. This is exactly the kind of economy we are building - diversified and dynamic. An economy in which we break down barriers, promote investment and entrepreneurship, facilitate access to new markets and give entrepreneurs the opportunity to prove themselves in the global market," said Dumitru Alaiba. // 05.04.2024 — InfoMarket
