Policy Brief No. 3/2023 – WHY THE INTERNATIONAL BRANDS DO NOT COME TO MOLDOVA?

Author: Elena Bolocan, project coordinator at the Institute for European Policies and Reforms (IPRE)

Since 2014, bilateral relations between the European Union and the Republic of Moldova have been based on the EU-Moldova Association Agreement. This agreement includes a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area and represents the path for political and economic integration with the European Union. An important stage in this development took place on June 23, 2022, when the European Council granted Moldova the status of EU candidate country, opening a new strategic chapter in the country’s development.

While the country’s economic integration process into the EU is progressing, there are still a number of challenges to be addressed. This analysis focuses on a topic of interest to citizens, which represents an economic challenge, namely the limited access of consumers to international clothing brands in the Republic of Moldova.

The absence of international brands, such as ZARA and H&M, limits the options of consumers who want quality and affordable products, while affecting the country’s economic development, as consumers turn to markets in neighboring countries, such as Romania.