According to data provided to the PMR President by the Chairman of the State Customs Committee of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic, foreign trade turnover for the first half of the year increased by 12% compared to the same period in 2025, reaching $816.8 million. Gas imports were a key factor, increasing by 30%, while overall fuel and energy imports increased by 25%. Including gas, total imports for January–June 2026 amounted to $667.8 million (+16% compared to last year's figures); excluding gas, the increase was 5%. Imports increased in the following areas: chemicals (+22%), pharmaceuticals (+22%), food products and raw materials (+9%), and metals and metal products (4%). Exports fell by 4% this year (down $6.4 million compared to the first half of 2025). This was due to the lack of electricity exports, as well as a 39% and 38% decline in foreign sales of footwear and clothing, respectively, a 19% decline in mineral products (pebbles and gravel), and a 22% decline in metal products. However, there were positive changes: exports of food products and raw materials increased by 22%, textiles by 43%, and textile products by 38%.
Despite the slight but still positive trend in foreign trade (up 2% excluding gas imports), customs duties revenues to the budget decreased by 5% (down 19 million rubles), amounting to 331.4 million rubles, according to Valentin Grabko. This decline was due to a 34% reduction in excise tax revenues. The collected amounts of import (+2%) and export (+21%) duties increased at the same time. An important measure of government support is the provision of benefits on import customs duties and excise taxes. The amount was $4.6 million over the first six months (3% more than the previous year).
Discussing the development of "electronic customs" the Chairman of the State Customs Committee reported that over 46,000 electronic customs declarations were issued during the reporting period, 83% of which were registered without inspector intervention, and 45% automatically. The processing time for a customs declaration is no more than two minutes after the automatic registration and automatic release for export. Import clearance takes an average of about an hour, and export clearance takes eight minutes. Valentin Grabko noted that the information and software solution—the "Electronic Customs" software product continues to be improved. Work is currently underway to implement an archive that will eliminate the duplication of previously submitted documents. Another useful service is the "Personal Account" for individuals and sole proprietors. The resource was launched in February of this year. Its users can extend the temporary import of vehicles registered in foreign countries and pay the vignette fee online, without having to visit the customs office. Furthermore, users can track the current status of their unified personal account with customs authorities. Video instructions have been published on the official website of the State Customs Committee of the PMR for convenience.
Another highlighted by the speaker aspect was the automation of the price information generation process. The new system allows for the updating of reliable information on the customs value of goods, eliminating human error.
The President asked about interactions with the business community and citizens. According to Valentin Grabko, this work is systemic. For example, a series of meetings with individual entrepreneurs in cities and districts of the republic was held in March, as well as a joint meeting of the Public Advisory and Public Councils under the State Customs Committee of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic. 1100 online requests were processed over the course of six months.
As for the law enforcement activities of the State Customs Committee of the PMR, 690 administrative violations in the customs area were identified over the first six months (44.6% of cases related to the expiration of the document confirming payment of the vignette, 17.5% to failure to declare goods, and 7.5% to movement outside customs control). Almost 15 million rubles were transferred to the republican budget in the form of fines following these investigations. The value of imported in violation of customs legislation the seized goods is 20 million rubles.
Cooperation between customs authorities, state security agencies, and law enforcement is crucial. This joint effort has resulted in eight criminal cases related to drug smuggling. Six inspectors from the customs checkpoints of Bendery and Rybnitsa have received departmental and state awards for their vigilance and professionalism. Vadim Krasnoselsky once strongly recommended rewarding employees for specific achievements. Another recent recommendation from the President is to intensify the use of sniffer dogs for drug detection. Work in this area is underway, both in practice and by legislatively enshrining relevant mechanisms.
The President inquired about progress in addressing the staffing issue. Currently, the republic's customs authorities are 75.9% staffed. The most critical staffing situation remains in Bendery, with only 68.4% of positions occupied. Informing about personnel training, the head of the agency reported that 12 employees were sent to courses at the Tiraspol Law Institute of the PMR Ministry of Internal Affairs this month.
The customs infrastructure, both what has been accomplished and areas requiring attention was discussed by the parties.