• July 20, 2018

On July 18, 2018, Nathan presented its Trade Corridor Assessment (TCA) of Moldova in a high-level ceremony in Chisinau, Moldova. The TCA is a critically important deliverable completed as part of the USAID/Moldova funded Moldova Structural Reform Program. The TCA lays the foundation for many of the activities that will ultimately improve Moldova’s ability to trade across borders and integrate the country further into regional and global markets.

Doug Muir, COP of USAID’s Moldova Structural Reform Program, presents analysis from the Moldova Trade Corridor Assessment at the July 18 event. Photo: USAID Moldova Structural Reform Program

Opening remarks at the TCA event were delivered by the U.S. Ambassador to Moldova, H.E. James D. Pettit, State Secretary from the Ministry of Economy and Infrastructure, Ms. Iuliana Drăgălin, and Deputy Director of the Moldova Customs Service, Mr. Iurie Ceban. Nathan experts, including Senior Vice President Dr. Paul Kent and Managing Associate Ms. Kristen Hartpence, presented on the TCA findings and led a stakeholder discussion group which included participants from the Government of Moldova and Moldova’s business and logistics community.

Through Nathan’s proven TCA methodology, our team of experts analyzed Moldova’s corridor performance, identified bottlenecks and constraints, and determined solutions to improve corridor performance. Better corridor performance, in turn, is expected to lead to increased trade, lower prices for consumers, more competitive businesses, and, ultimately, to greater economic growth.

In his remarks, Ambassador Pettit underscored that “the Trade Corridor Assessment will provide Moldovan authorities and business owners with more practical solutions on improving trade corridor performance in order to reduce costs and, most importantly, to increase the competitiveness of Moldovan products on the international market.”

Over the past two decades, Moldova has seen impressive GDP growth, averaging 6.7% per year from 2000 to 2016, as a result of trade-focused development policies. However, poorly functioning trade corridors have made trading difficult for Moldovan cross-border traders, particularly small traders, and consequently have constrained Moldova’s full potential for growth.

Ms. Drăgălin noted that the TCA will have a significant impact in providing Moldova the tools to formulate and implement efficient policies to improve and modernize the country’s infrastructure, transport services, and logistics, which in turn could lead to higher investment and increased job creation.

Mr. Ceban emphasized the importance of this study for improving trade facilitation and praised the cooperation of the Nathan TCA team with Moldovan Customs Service, thanking the team for their assistance in formulating critical recommendations.

Nathan frequently partners with USAID, customs authorities, trade ministries, and businesses to identify and address bottlenecks to trading across borders, helping to spur growth by increasing regional and international market access. We are experts in conducting TCAs around the world, with extensive experience in data collection in developing countries, transport and trade policy analysis, and developing strategies, or “road maps”, for corridor improvements.

The USAID Moldova Structural Reform Program, led by Chief of Party, Douglas Muir, supports Moldova’s continued integration into regional and worldwide systems of commerce and trade. The Program works to simplify legal and regulatory conditions for enterprises to grow and innovate and to streamline Moldova’s channels of trade facilitation and logistics, with the aim of helping Moldovan products reach and thrive within broader, more dynamic markets.

Return to news