What if one of Moldova’s most valuable economic assets was not a factory, port or technology platform, but its language?
Today, 31 August, the Republic of Moldova celebrates Limba Noastră, or Romanian Language Day.
As Honorary Consul of the Republic of Moldova in Manchester, I congratulate Moldova and every Romanian speaker on this important national holiday.
La mulți ani Limbii Române și tuturor celor care o vorbesc, o scriu și o păstrează vie!
Romanian carries our history. It preserves our culture. Most importantly, it gives Moldova a stronger voice in Europe and the wider world.
Language creates belonging
Romanian connects generations of Moldovans across borders.
For diaspora families in the United Kingdom, that connection holds special value.
Children born or raised abroad may speak English at school and with friends. However, learning Romanian helps them communicate with parents, grandparents and relatives. That is why I would encourage everyone to sign the petition.
Language also gives young people access to Moldova’s literature, music, customs and shared memory.
Families therefore play a vital role by:
- Speaking Romanian at home
- Reading Romanian books together
- Supporting weekend schools and cultural programmes
- Encouraging children to write as well as speak
- Sharing Moldovan traditions through language
Romanian has shaped my own identity and professional life.
My experience as a conference interpreter, business leader and diaspora representative taught me that language carries more than words. It carries trust, intention and cultural understanding.
Now, in my consular role, I want to support initiatives that keep Romanian alive among Moldovan communities across the North West of England.
A national celebration with public purpose
This year’s Romanian Language Day brought almost 3,500 people together for the fourth National Dictation.
Students, teachers, parents, grandparents and people of different ages gathered in Chisinau’s Great National Assembly Square.
Communities in at least 16 districts also joined the initiative.
Organised by Moldova’s Ministry of Education and Research under the patronage of the Presidency, the event allowed people to celebrate Romanian while testing their language skills.
For the first time, people with visual impairments also participated through adapted materials and facilities. Moldova’s Ministry of Education and Research reported on the national event.
Such an event turns respect for language into action.
Furthermore, it makes literacy visible, inclusive and relevant to every generation.
A responsibility passed between generations
Moldova’s national leaders marked the day with messages about survival, identity and responsibility.
President Maia Sandu honoured the generations who protected Romanian during periods of prohibition and humiliation:
“Părinții și bunicii noștri au continuat să o vorbească și în cele mai vitrege vremuri, în ciuda interdicțiilor și umilințelor. Datorită lor, limba română a dăinuit pe această bucată de pământ.
Astăzi o putem vorbi liber, fără teamă. Cu atât mai mult, avem datoria să avem grijă de ea. Și, mai ales, să le transmitem copiilor noștri dragostea pentru limba română, așa cum am primit-o și noi de la cei dinaintea noastră.
Să le lăsăm această moștenire prețioasă: o limbă vie, vorbită frumos, în care să-și spună poveștile, să-și cânte doinele și să-și rostească dorul.
La mulți ani, Limba Română!”
Her message reminds us that speaking Romanian freely carries both a right and a responsibility.
Each generation must pass that freedom to the next. President Maia Sandu published the message for Romanian Language Day.
Prime Minister Vasile Tofan approached the language through family, memory and Moldova’s rich regional vocabulary:
“Pentru mine, limba română a rămas întotdeauna «acasă», indiferent unde am trăit. Este limba în care mi-am cerut soția în căsătorie și limba în care mi-am legănat cei patru copii înainte de somn.
Româna este o limbă extraordinar de bogată și sună la fel de frumos în dulcele grai moldovenesc. Într-o parte a Moldovei, copiii mănâncă dude, în alta, agute, iar în alta, șorcove. Și, peste tot, sunt la fel de dulci, dulci ca limba română.
Această diversitate nu sărăcește limba română, ci o face mai vie și mai frumoasă.
De aceea, este important ca ai noștri copii să citească și să vorbească românește, să-i cunoască pe scriitorii noștri, să nu le fie rușine de accentul bunicilor și să fie mândri de limba lor.”
His words hold particular meaning for diaspora families.
Romanian can remain “home” regardless of where people live. Regional accents and words do not weaken the language. Instead, they reveal its depth and living character. The Ministry of Education recorded the Prime Minister’s address at the National Dictation.
Parliamentary President Igor Grosu connected the celebration with Romanian’s constitutional status:
“Am reușit să-i facem dreptate și astăzi limba română este consfințită în Constituție ca limbă de stat.
Să fim mândri de limba noastră și, cel mai important, să o prețuim zi de zi.
Limba trăiește prin noi. Prin felul în care o vorbim, o scriem, o citim și o transmitem copiilor noștri.
La mulți ani, Limba Română!”
Recognition in the Constitution represents an important achievement.
However, legislation alone cannot keep a language alive.
People sustain Romanian through daily conversation, books, education, culture and the words they teach their children. Moldpres reported the Parliamentary President’s Romanian Language Day message.
Together, these messages create a clear national call.
Moldova must honour those who protected Romanian, value its diversity and transmit it confidently to future generations.
That responsibility does not stop at Moldova’s borders.
It belongs equally to Moldovan families, schools, cultural organisations and diaspora communities throughout the United Kingdom and across the world.
Celebrated across three countries
This anniversary carries added significance.
For the first time, people celebrate Romanian Language Day across Romania, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine.
Ukraine introduced the annual commemoration on 31 August as part of closer relations with Romania and respect for the Romanian-speaking community. The President of Ukraine confirmed the annual national observance.
Romanian President Nicușor Dan also marked the importance of celebrating the language together across the three countries. His official Romanian Language Day message highlights this shared occasion.
This shared celebration does not remove national differences.
Instead, it creates another bridge for education, culture, regional dialogue and cooperation.
Language also supports international trade
Businesses do not trade through contracts alone.
People create commercial relationships through communication, confidence and mutual understanding.
Language therefore acts as economic infrastructure.
Clear communication helps companies:
- Understand laws and commercial expectations
- Negotiate with greater confidence
- Build relationships with local partners
- Protect customers and employees
- Reduce contractual and operational risk
- Adapt products for new markets
Romanian gives Moldova a direct cultural and linguistic connection with Romania, an important EU market and Moldova’s closest commercial gateway into the Union.
Meanwhile, multilingual skills help Moldovan professionals work across international markets.
English remains essential to global business. Yet companies gain a stronger position when they combine English with high-quality Romanian communication and local market knowledge.
Insurers, financiers and lawyers should take this point seriously. Poor communication can create regulatory, contractual and reputational risk. Professional translation and interpretation form part of effective risk management.
From language to European integration
Moldova’s European future gives Romanian even greater strategic importance.
Romanian already serves as an official language of the European Union. Consequently, strong language skills can support Moldova’s access to European institutions, academic networks, legal knowledge and commercial standards.
Moldova continues to advance through the EU accession process. The European Council granted candidate status in June 2022, and accession negotiations formally began in June 2024. The Council of the European Union provides the current accession timeline.
European integration requires more than political decisions.
Public institutions, universities, businesses and communities must understand new rules and communicate them clearly.
Therefore, language education, accurate terminology and professional translation should form part of Moldova’s integration planning.
An opportunity for the North West
Manchester and the wider North West can contribute to this next chapter.
Local universities could develop:
- Romanian language and cultural programmes
- Student and academic exchanges
- Joint research with Moldovan institutions
- Business and public policy partnerships
- Translation, interpreting and terminology projects
Airports also have a role.
Direct flights support diaspora families, tourism, academic exchange and business travel. Earlier Liverpool-Chisinau and Manchester-Chisinau services demonstrated demand, although both routes currently remain suspended.
Restoring sustainable air connectivity would shorten the distance between Northern England and Moldova.
Likewise, logistics businesses can explore trade corridors linking the United Kingdom, Moldova, Romania and Ukraine.
Moldova’s geography and regional relationships give it a potential role in Ukraine’s reconstruction. Romanian strengthens Moldova’s ties with Romania, while Moldova’s multilingual capabilities and connections with Ukraine support a wider regional proposition.
However, language alone cannot create this opportunity.
Companies must combine communication with local partnerships, due diligence, investment and long-term commitment.
Turning celebration into commercial engagement
Together with Paul Kallee-Grover MBE, I am organising a business-led UK Trade Mission to Moldova from 27 September to 2 October 2026.
The mission will coincide with Moldova Business Week, which runs from 28 September to 2 October.
Moldova Business Week will focus on European integration, investment attraction and export growth. Invest Moldova outlines the official programme and priorities.
We will select no more than ten UK businesses.
Delegates will gain direct exposure to Moldova’s commercial environment and meet relevant institutions, businesses and decision-makers.
Participation remains open across sectors, including technology, manufacturing, agrifood, infrastructure, logistics, energy, education, tourism and professional services.
Fees and commercial terms will be discussed privately.
Interested businesses, investors, universities, airports and logistics companies should contact me at RM.Honorary.Consul@gmail.com.
A language that remembers and advances
Limba Noastră reminds us where Moldova has come from.
Romanian Language Day should also help us consider where the country wants to go.
Moldova can preserve its identity while building a European future. Its diaspora can maintain cultural roots while creating international connections. Businesses can respect language and culture while developing new markets.
That combination creates confidence.
Today, we celebrate Romanian as a living language of family, education, diplomacy and commerce.
Tomorrow, we must use it to build stronger institutions, trusted partnerships and wider opportunities.
This article continues my “Moldova at 35: From Independence to European Integration” theme and my wider series on economic and investment diplomacy.
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Appreciation for Sponsors
Express Language Solutions Ltd and Moldovan Diaspora Business Alliance Ltd sponsored this article.
I thank ELS and MDBA for their continued support for language, diaspora engagement and UK-Moldova relations.
Organisations interested in sponsoring future thought leadership articles or bilateral initiatives can contact me privately at RM.Honorary.Consul@gmail.com.