PM pays monitoring visit to border checkpoint in south-eastern Moldova

Chisinau, 20 April /MOLDPRES/ - We will be able to carry out joint control also on the Transnistrian segment for the first time in those 25 years of Independence, due to the joint border checkpoint Palanca, southeastern Moldova. Prime Minister Pavel Filip made statements to this effect during a monitoring visit to the Palanca border crossing point, paid together with European officials. The Palanca border checkpoint is to be inaugurated in next December.  

PM Pavel Filip noted that this border crossing was a symbol of the European Union, which would provide services at high standards.

“The work carried out so far is huge. This checkpoint will provide quality services and will allow shortening the time spent in customs. Also, the number of crossings will increase,” Filip said.

Attending the event, Head of the European Union Delegation in Chisinau Peter Michalko said that, after the border checkpoint is opened for use, the time of crossing this point would be shortened by 20 per cent and the number of people annually crossing the border would double from 600,000 to 1.2 million.  

“The implementation of this project will ensure good cooperation between the two countries’ agencies in charge of customs and phyto-sanitary border control, quicker and safer exchange of information, a higher level of efficiency and transparency at border and of the customs control. Also, the optimization of costs for both partner countries will be ensured,” Peter Michalko said.   

Till the inauguration of the new border checkpoint Palanca, only the transport units the weight of which does not exceed 3.5 tons, as well as min-busses with up to 22 places will benefit from joint control.     

The establishment of joint control at the Palanca border checkpoint has at its basis an agreement between the governments of Moldova and Ukraine, signed on 11 March 1997, on the organization of joint control at seven Moldovan-Ukrainian border checkpoints: Criva-Mamaliga, Medveja-Zelionaya, Larga-Kelmentsy, Briceni-Rossoshany, Kuchurgan-Pervomaysk, Palanca-Mayaki-Udobnoye and Giurgiulesti-Reni.   

The extension and modernization of the Palanca border checkpoint is carried out within a project, Construction of Palanca border checkpoint for organizing joint control in Moldova. The project is financed by the European Union, co-financed by the Moldovan government and implemented by the United Nations Development programme in Moldova. The project’s budget is of 5.56 million euros.

(Reporter A. Ciobanu, editor A. Raileanu)