Calarasi District
Călărași's central location (55km from Chișinău) and Free Economic Zone attract investment in a stagnant economy—relative advantage, not immunity.
Călărași exemplifies how central positioning creates infrastructure advantages that compound over time. Located just 55 kilometers from Chișinău in Moldova's geographic center, the district of 43,864 inhabitants sits at the intersection of major transport corridors: 78 kilometers to the Romanian border at Leușeni, 97 kilometers to Iași, and 263 kilometers to Odesa port. The E58 international road and Chișinău-Iași railway line cross its territory.
This centrality has attracted strategic investment. The Tuzara subzone of the 'Ungheni-Business' Free Economic Zone occupies 32.27 hectares with direct highway and rail connections. The district's economy spans food processing, textiles, construction materials, and cattle breeding—diversification that peripheral districts cannot sustain. Moldova Business Week 2025 selected Călărași among just seven regional hosts, recognition of its emerging role as a secondary economic center.
The European Village II Programme, launched in 2024 with 712 projects nationally, allocated 70 million lei to Călărași for continued modernization. Average gross salaries of 9,345 lei exceed many rural districts. Yet Moldova's broader stagnation—GDP grew just 0.1% in 2024 with agriculture weak—constrains what centrality can deliver. Industrial production remains at 92% of 2021 peak levels nationally. Călărași's advantage is relative: in a struggling economy, central location and Free Economic Zone status provide modest buffers, but cannot insulate from the structural challenges affecting all of Moldova.