In January-August Georgia’s external merchandise trade reached at $16 250.8 mln

Georgia external merchandise trade (excluding non-declared trade) attained USD 16 250.8 million in January-August 2025 (8.8 percent higher year-on-year). The exports showed a 6.7 percent growth and reached 4 448.2 million, while the imports increased by 9.7 percent and attained USD 11 802.7 million. The share of the negative trade balance in external trade turnover (totally it was USD 7 354.5 million in January-August 2025) constituted 45.3 percent.

Kyrgyzstan (USD 943.1 million), Kazakhstan (USD 572.9 million) and Russia (USD 480.7 million) were the top ten Georgia’s trading partners by exports. Their share in the total exports of the country amounted to 79.8 percent in January-August 2025. The USA (USD 1 801.0 million), Türkiye (USD 1 779.8 million) and China (USD 1 225.1 million) were the top partners by imports in the reporting period. Their share in the total imports of Georgia was 71.3 percent.

Türkiye (USD 1 989.7 million), the USA (USD 1 863.5 million) and Russia (USD 1 705.5 million) were the top trading partners in January-August 2025 with the share of 68.7 percent in the total external trade turnover of Georgia.

Motor cars (USD 1 728.3 million, 38.9 percent of exports), precious metal ores and concentrates (USD 239.1 million, 5.4 percent of exports), spirituous beverages (USD 172.0 million, 3.9 percent of exports) were top export items in the reporting period.

Motor cars (USD 2 422.6 million, 20.5 percent of the total imports), petroleum and petroleum oils (USD 846.1 million, 7.2 percent of imports), paintings, drawings and pastels (USD 481.4 million, 4.1 percent of imports) were the top import commodities in January-August 2025.

NH Logistics GEO has been offering IOR Importer of Record and EOR Exporter of Record services since 2001 and is a market leader in Georgia and Eurasia, supporting many clients with their import/export shipments.

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Greece and Serbia strengthened economic and trade relations at a Business Forum

The Athens Chamber of Commerce and Industry (EVEA), the Hellenic Federation of Enterprises (SEV), Enterprise Greece, and the Greek Exporters’ Association (SEVE) organized the “Greece–Serbia Business Forum and B2B Meetings” on Tuesday in Athens.

According to Sofia Kounenaki Efraimoglou, EVEA’s first vice president, Greek exports to Serbia overpassed €400 million in 2024, and imports come close to €390 million.

As Enterprise Greece CEO Marinos Giannopoulos, SEV’s Vicky Makrygianni and Greek Foreign Ministry official and Ambassador Dimitris Karampalis said, the forum helps develop strategic partnerships in such crucial sectors as AI, energy, tourism, logistics and pharmaceuticals. According to SEVE’s Panagiotis Hasapis, bilateral trade attained €828.5 million. Such sectors as aluminum, food, plastics and machinery, infrastructure, digitalization and health sciences are especially important.

NH Logistics SER has been offering IOR Importer of Record and EOR Exporter of Record services since 2001 and is a market leader in Serbia and Eurasia, supporting many clients with their import/export shipments.

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Digitalization of import, export and transit of goods will begin from 2027

They expect the implementation of the Draft Law on the National Single Counter System, which envisages the establishment of a centralized digital portal for the import, export and transit of goods to begin on 1 January 2027.

It means that the functioning of the system that will consolidate all procedures related to customs operations and decisions of the competent authorities, with the aim, as stated, of speeding up trade flows and reducing administrative barriers, will be regulated by this law.

Particularly, external users – companies, small businesses, individuals and state administration bodies – will be able to electronically submit applications, supplements to applications and other documents via the system. From the other side, the portal will receive and process submitted applications from internal users, namely competent authorities, manage their documentation exchange with other internal users and issue decisions in electronic form. The system will automatically record every decision, application or accompanying data, with a unique reference number for case identification.

The Customs Administration under the Ministry of Finance will operate the system, while all authorities involved in issuing decisions will have to align their information systems and ensure connectivity with the central portal.

According to the draft, there will be specific agreements concluded between the operator and internal users, as well as strict security measures, ranging from data storage in the state data center to mandatory backups and protection against cyber threats.

Also, the system will store documents, applications and decisions for ten years, and give the users the chance to pay fees and charges electronically, as well as receive certificates and notifications about the status of their cases automatically.

There are monetary fines previewed in the draft law for both internal and external users who fail to comply with obligations related to system connectivity, archiving or document exchange.

Legal entities will have to pay fines between 200,000 and 2,000,000 dinars, while responsible individuals – between 50,000 and 150,000 dinars.

As the explanatory notes claim, the National Single Window System will help increase efficiency and transparency, reduce business costs and ensure the smooth functioning of international trade in line with European and global standards.

NH Logistics SER has been offering IOR Importer of Record and EOR Exporter of Record services since 2001 and is a market leader in Serbia and Eurasia, supporting many clients with their import/export shipments.

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Cooperation between Georgia and Romania is discussed at a business meeting

The EU-Georgia Business Council (EUGBC) and the Georgian-Romanian Chamber of Commerce co-organized in Tbilisi a roundtable meeting between Georgian and Romanian business representatives. Opportunities for stronger cooperation in trade, investment, transport and energy were among discussed topics.
According to Romania’s Ambassador to Georgia, Razvan Rotundu, the shared culture and mentality, the position as Black Sea neighbors create the great potential for expanding bilateral ties.
As the ambassador also emphasized, the ferry link between the port of Poti and Constanța which has been operational for two years but remains underutilized, is significant. Also, a joint initiative of Georgia, Romania, Azerbaijan and Hungary which is expected to enhance energy security and establish a regional energy hub, as well as Romania’s support for the Black Sea submarine cable project, are important.
According to economic data, trade between Georgia and Romania is getting successful, demonstrating the growth of bilateral trade turnover from $134.9 million in January–July 2024 to $188.7 million in the same period this year.
Most of the trade is accounted for imports from Romania ($166.8 million in the first seven months of 2025). Romania is the second-largest oil supplier to Georgia after Russia with petroleum and petroleum products imports worth $132.6 million. Then follow manufactured tobacco ($6.1M), rubber tires ($3.6M), medicines ($2.2M), and cars ($1.9M).
There was a slight downfall of exports to Romania from $24.5 million in 2024 to $21.9 million this year. The leading export category was fertilizers ($16.8 million), then followed ferroalloys ($3M), amusement goods and games ($477K) and smaller shipments of machinery, brushes, detergents and mineral water.
Consistent volumes are shown by annual trade figures: $246.9 million in 2024, $244.2 million in 2023 and $314.7 million in 2022.
Nevertheless, Romania still doesn’t invest much in Georgia. In 2024, investments stood at $520,000, in 2023 a little more than $450,000 and just $143,000 in the first quarter of 2025.
However, tourism revenue is growing, though is still modest. There was a 6.7% year-on-year increase in the first half of 2025, when 3,860 Romanian tourists visited Georgia. The annual total grew up from 6,545 in 2023 and attained 8,246 travelers in 2024.
Both sides recognize actual opportunities to deepen economic relations, with strategic energy projects in talks and transport links like the Poti-Constanța ferry yet to reach their full potential. According to the results of today’s meeting, business-to-business relations expansion can broaden the cooperation, despite modest investment and tourism figures.
NH Logistics GEO has been offering IOR Importer of Record and EOR Exporter of Record services since 2001 and is a market leader in Georgia and Eurasia, supporting many clients with their import/export shipments.

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Decrease of grain exports from Russia and Ukraine

Russian and Ukrainian grain shipments demonstrated a sharp downfall year-on-year between January and August 2025.
According to Filipe Gouveia, Shipping Analysis Manager at BIMCO, Russian and Ukrainian grain shipments have decreased by 49% combined year-on-year between January and August 2025. The decrease of grain harvests by 12% and 6% respectively in the second half of 2024 caused a smaller export surplus of both countries. As a result, the combined production from both countries fell by 10%.
Consequently, Russian wheat export quota has been cut by 63% between February and June 2025.
Ukraine has maintained its seaborne shipments, but wheat and maize are now excluded from the the revised deal after the expiration of the EU’s tariff-free trade agreement for Ukrainian agricultural exports in June.
Last year, Russian and Ukrainian grain exports took the fourth and fifth places in the world. Russia was the leader in wheat exports, while Ukraine had the fourth place in maize and fifth in wheat exports. Nevertheless, Ukrainian wheat and maize yields dropped by 33% compared to the last harvest. Opposingly, there was a 9% increase of Russian wheat yields.
Gouveia says that an estimated 6% decline in global grain shipments between January and August 2025 happened because of weakened shipments out of Russia and Ukraine. However, shipments from the US, Canada, Australia, Argentina and Romania increased and have partially offset the weaker cargoes from Russia and Ukraine. Generally, demand for panamax, supramax and handysize ships has been negatively affected by this.
Ports in the Mediterranean, the Black Sea and the Middle East have been the destination of 70% of grain shipments from Russia and Ukraine this year. This shows a 13 percentage points raise compared to the previous year, opposite to a 62% drop year-on-year of shipments to East Africa and to South, Southeast and East Asia.
According to Gouveia, they expect a partial recovery in Russian and Ukrainian grain shipments over the next twelve months. The USDA also anticipates a 19% surge in Ukrainian maize yields. Nevertheless, an expected 2% increase in Russian yields wheat and an 8% decline in Ukraine may make shipments remain stable. In general, they expect grain production of the both countries to fall by 6% compared to pre-war levels.
NH Logistics UKR has been offering IOR Importer of Record and EOR Exporter of Record services since 2001 and is a market leader in Ukraine and Eurasia, supporting many clients with their import/export shipments.

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Business in the first quarter is dissatisfying for more than half of companies in the trade sector

According to 57.4 percent of companies in the trade sector, the business climate in the first quarter of 2025 has worsened compared to the previous quarter. 37.3 percent assess it as unchanged.

As he Serbian Chamber of Commerce survey on the business activity of the domestic economy shows, 18.1 percent of companies expect business climate to worsen in the second quarter. Nearly 47 percent expect it to remain unchanged.

Also, turnover of 54.2 percent of trade companies dropped in in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the previous quarter, while business turnover of 29.3 percent was unchanged. Turnover of 16.5 percent of respondents even increased compared to the previous quarter. 51.3 percent have high expectations concerning the level of turnover in the second quarter.

As the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia reports, there were totally 370,285 employees in retail and wholesale trade and real estate activities in the fourth quarter of 2024 (an increase of 0.1 percent compared to the same quarter of 2023, 15.9 percent of total employment in Serbia).

Retail trade (211,123) and wholesale trade, excluding motor vehicles and motorcycles (117,528) have most employees. Real estate activities have least employees (9,201), with the highest year-on-year percentage increase in employment (0.5 percent).

Employment levels have remained unchanged for nearly 74 percent of companies in the trade sector in the first quarter of 2025.

Also, wholesale trade, excluding motor vehicles and motorcycles, offers the highest average salary (3.9 percent higher than the national average) with a real growth of 8.2 percent.

Notably, real estate activities offer salaries 4.5 percent lower than the national average, wholesale and retail trade and vehicle repair offer salaries 21.9 percent lower. Only retail salaries exceeded the national average by 29.7 percent.

Also, a net inflow of foreign direct investment (FDI) of 117 million euros from resident investments was recorded in wholesale and retail trade and real estate activities in the fourth quarter of 2024. Particularly wholesale trade demonstrated the highest level of non-resident investment activity (54.3 million euros), then followed and retail trade, excluding motor vehicles and motorcycles (35.9 million euros). Opposingly, real estate activities showed the lowest net FDI inflow (9.2 million euros).

NH Logistics SER has been offering IOR Importer of Record and EOR Exporter of Record services since 2001 and is a market leader in Serbia and Eurasia, supporting many clients with their import/export shipments.

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Preliminary data about the domestic exports in January-July 2025

The exports of Georgia (excluding non-declared exports) attained USD 3 845.1 million in January-July 2025 (9.0 percent higher year-on-year). The domestic exports had the share of 45.3 percent in the total exports and reached USD 1 742.8 million (2.7 percent higher to the same period of 2024).

The first place in the list of top domestic export items in the reporting period belonged to precious metal ores and concentrates (USD 202.9 million, or 11.6 percent of total domestic exports). 8.3 percent of the total domestic exports was accounted for wine of fresh grapes (USD 144.8 million). The third place was taken by the domestic exports of spirituous beverages (USD 122.3 million, 7.0 percent of the total domestic exports).

The top ten trading partners by domestic exports in the reporting period had the share of 70.8 percent in the total domestic exports of Georgia. They were Russia (USD 385.6 million), Türkiye (USD 175.2 million) and China (USD 168.8 million).

They will revise the preliminary data according to the Geostat’s revision policy (based on the regular revision principle) and adjust it by respondents/administrative sources.

Exports of goods produced in the country, as well as imported from abroad, the value of which has significantly changed as a result of domestic processing, are included into domestic exports.

NH Logistics GEO has been offering IOR Importer of Record and EOR Exporter of Record services since 2001 and is a market leader in Georgia and Eurasia, supporting many clients with their import/export shipments.

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Serbia’s H1 ICT exports increased by 14% y/y

According to the Office for Information Technologies and eGovernment, Serbia’s information and communication technologies (ICT) exports increased by 14% on the year in January – June 2025 and reached 2.217 billion euro ($2.592 billion).

As the office said in a press release on Thursday, only in June ICT exports grew up by an annual 17% to 381 million euro.

In the first six months of 2025, the trade surplus in ICT services reached 1.750 billion euro, as per the statement.

In the previous year, Serbia’s revenue from ICT exports attained a record 4.13 billion euro, up by 20% from the prior year.

NH Logistics SER has been offering IOR Importer of Record and EOR Exporter of Record services since 2001 and is a market leader in Serbia and Eurasia, supporting many clients with their import/export shipments.

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Agricultural trade and tourism collaboration Kazakhstan and Serbia will increase

The aim of the fourth meeting of the Kazakh-Serbian Intergovernmental Commission (IGC), held in Almaty on August 8 Kazakhstan and Serbia was to strengthen cooperation in agriculture, tourism, and transport following between the two countries.
Kazakhstan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Economy Serik Zhumangarin, and Serbia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Internal Affairs Ivica Dacic co-chaired the meeting.
Key areas for expanding bilateral ties Zhumangarin were trade, transport, agriculture, healthcare, tourism, science, biotechnology, education, and culture.
In January- June 2025, turnover of agricultural products reached $4mn (1.5 times increase), especially exports of grain and legumes, vegetable oils, fish, meat, and dairy products to Serbia.
As Vice Minister of Agriculture Yermek Kenzhekhanuly noted, there are 20 Kazakh enterprises supplying pike perch fillet and other fish products in the EU register now, and four major producers are ready to begin honey exports to Europe.
Aquaculture products and horse meat are also waiting for EU approval.
Joint investment projects in processing livestock and plant products, as well as research cooperation in seed production, field testing of various crops, development of joint hybrids, and production of biopesticides are proposed by Kazakhstan.
Another major focus was tourism cooperation. According to Vice Minister of Tourism and Sports Yerzhan Yerkinbayev, there is a project of a multifunctional hotel complex in Belgrade.
As Yerkinbayev said, academic partnerships between the International University of Tourism and Hospitality in Turkestan and Singidunum University in Belgrade would include student and faculty exchange programs, joint research, and participation in the Kazakhstan International Tourism and Travel Exhibition in April 2026.
The sides also discussed transport connectivity, particularly the extension of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route to Serbia. SCAT Airlines are planning to launch direct flights between Astana and Belgrade this year, with potential onward routes to Morocco, Tunisia, Barcelona, and Larnaca.
Another agreement was to hold a trade and economic mission to Serbia and the first Kazakh-Serbian business council later this year.
In conclusion of the meeting they signed a protocol formalizing the agreements reached. The sides will meet again in Serbia in 2026.
The only Serbian institution with UNWTO’s TEDQUAL certification and is ranked among the top 600 European universities by the QS Europe University Rankings 2025 is Singidunum University. One of its functions is the UNWTO’s regional reference library for tourism, housing one of the largest tourism literature collections in the Balkans.
NH Logistics SER has been offering IOR Importer of Record and EOR Exporter of Record services since 2001 and is a market leader in Serbia and Eurasia, supporting many clients with their import/export shipments.

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Trade, transport and tourism ties between Georgia and Turkey are boosted

A meeting between the Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, Mariam Kvrivishvili, and Turkish Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloglu, took place during his working visit to Georgia.
The priority directions of bilateral trade-economic relations, the development of cooperation between countries in sectors such as bilateral trade, transport and logistics, civil aviation, tourism, and others were the topics of the discussion.
Ministers noted that Turkey is the number one trading partner and a regular developed investor, especially in the field of transport. Government of Georgia uses the role of transit corridor effectively and the forms a regional logistics hub.
A number of initiatives for the development of transport corridors between Europe and Asia actively involve Georgia and Turkey. One of them is the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route – the middle corridor that promotes global trade, and economic development.
The modernization of the railway, the construction of the East-West Highway, the development of the Anaklia Deepwater Port, the new Tbilisi International Airport, the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars Railway are among specific projects that will contribute to the development of the country in this direction.
The ministers agreed that the full operation of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway and cooperation in the civil aviation sector were their priorities.
Direct regular flights between two countries made the number of passengers transferred surpass 615 thousand (5.97% more than in the same period of 2024).
4 Turkish airlines are currently carrying passengers between countries and successfully operating freight flights. They expect Turkey’s largest airline, “Turkish Airlines,” to launch a new direction that will further enhance cooperation in both the aviation and tourism sectors.
As a result, more than 1.3 million visitors came from Turkey to Georgia in 2024, which made Turkey second in terms of international visitors to Georgia. Cooperation between the two countries on investments, land transport, hydrography, marine, railway, and more were also discussed at the meeting by the sides.
The Turkish Minister got the invitation to the fifth International Silk Road Forum, which will be held in Tbilisi on October 22-23, from Mariam Kvrivishvili.
The Deputy Ministers of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia, Guram Guramishvili and Genadi Arveladze, as well as the Ambassador of Georgia to Turkey, Archil Kalandia also attended the meeting.
NH Logistics GEO has been offering IOR Importer of Record and EOR Exporter of Record services since 2001 and is a market leader in Georgia and Eurasia, supporting many clients with their import/export shipments.

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