Activity in customs checkpoints on border with Romania slowed down significantly

The activity in the customs checkpoints on the border with Romania was noticeably slowed down as of January 1, once visas became compulsory for Moldovan citizens willing to enter Romania. According to the estimates of the heads of customs offices in Moldova, the number of Bassarabian people that entered Romania in the first days of the current year has reduced about 3-fold. As Romania’s Border Police reports, 3,200 Moldovan people entered Romania from January 1 to 3, compared to 8,800 in the same period of last year. Romanian customs officers in Stanca, Botosani County, say that only three Bassarabian people crossed this checkpoint in the first three days of the year. Romania’s EU membership is about to down the small trade of Moldovan citizens, who earned their living at the marketplaces in Botosani, Iasi, Galati, selling agricultural products. Sources from Romania say that the transport firms are now running at loss, as they have nobody to convey to and from Moldova. Also the hotels where Bassarabian traders booked rooms until their goods were sold incur losses. Head of the Customs Press Service Ion Magu told Info-Prim Neo that 45 lorries, 55 buses, 763 cars, 129 minibuses and 5772 passengers left Moldova in the first week of the year, crossing Sculeni customs. As many as 38 buses, 602 cars, 154 minibuses, 41 buses and 4273 passengers have crossed the Moldovan border in the same period, the cited source reports. Both the Border Guards Service and Chisinau International Airport have refused to offer information about the flow of passengers in the first days of the current year. As of January 1, Romanian Consulate in Chisinau is stormed by thousands Moldovan citizens, who apply for an entry visa to Romania. Mostly, these are pupils and students that are studying in Romania and who may fail the first exams. At the same time, a number of Moldovan citizens, who arrived at home on holidays, could not get a visa for Romania in due time, so that they had to return to the countries where they work by air and spend 2 or 3-fold more money.