EU Assistance at Moldovan-Ukrainian border reduces smuggling on Transnistrian segment

Due to constructive cooperation with the government of Moldova and Ukraine, it was managed to obtain significant results in the activity of EU Assistance Mission at the border, being detected and secured several smuggling channels, the head of EU Assistance Mission at Moldovan-Ukrainian border, General Ferenc Banfi, announced about this at the meeting with the Prime Minister. He mentioned that the volume of goods imported in Transnistrian region rise above the population’s consuming capacity, fact showing that these goods are re-exported by means of smuggling. According to Ferenc Banfi, it is foreseen in the next two months to expand the monitoring activities of the border due to essential increase of the assistance volume provided by the European Commission for the mission’s activity. Prime Minister Vasile Tarlev backed up the proposal on strengthening assistance mission’s capacity at the border, including creating of additional territorial offices and increasing the number of the customs’ officers. The new customs regulations at Moldovan-Ukrainian border were implemented on 3 March 2006, according to the agreement concluded at the end of last year by Moldovan and Ukrainian Prime Ministers.