Abstract:

The main purpose of the paper is to identify the strategic importance that the Free Economic Zones (FEZ) have for the economy of the Republic of Moldova. Although, the definitions of said zones differ from country to country, the main incentives are the same: socio-economic growth and business and trade facilitation. One of the objectives of the paper is to determine the current state of the Moldovan FEZs and understand how their usage has translated into numbers, regarding growth and economic and commercial potential. Using statistical data on trade, foreign direct investment inflows and employment we were able to quantify some of the main effects the FEZs had during the last 10-15 years on the national economy as a whole. In the last part of the paper, the main focus is on future research directions and recommendations to take into consideration in order to obtain more viable and impactful results regarding the proposed subject.