The jointly operated Moldovan-Ukrainian border crossing point Palanca, which is now under construction, will be inaugurated at the end of this year, in December. The persons who will cross the border will be subject to one check and the waiting time in the customs post will decrease by about 20%, stated Prime Minister Pavel Filip, who made an inspection visit to the building site in Palanca on April 20, IPN reports.
According to the Premier, the work done until now on the building site is huge and considerable progress has been made since his last visit there. “It is not a simple border crossing point as Moldova has also other jointly operated points with Ukraine, but namely Palanca can be named a symbol of the European Union. The EU offered €4.5 million for building this and for ensuring high-quality services, including access roads,” stated Pavel Filip, noting that with the launch of this project the number of crossings will increase and the pressure faced by the other checkpoints will decrease.
Head of the EU Delegation to Moldova Peter Michalko said the functionality of the border crossing point will contribute to facilitating trade between Moldova and Ukraine and this will have an impact on economic stability and durability in the region. The institution of joint control will result in better cooperation between the institutions responsible for customs and phytosanitary control and in swifter exchange of information about the transported persons and goods.
UNDP Resident Representative Dafina Gercheva said the project is designed to support the Moldovan and Ukrainian governments in their efforts to achieve the objectives defined in the Agenda 2030 and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The joint border crossing point will provide services of a high quality that will increase transparency and, implicitly, the people’s confidence. The creation of the common office will help reduce corruption and fight offenses on the border.
Border Police chief Fredolin Lecari said that even if the comfort is now reduced for the Border Police and the Customs Service, the border crossing point wasn’t closed. “The checkpoint is a classical cooperation concept that will help reduce waiting time and will offer maximum comfort,” he stated.
The border crossing point is extended and modernized within the project “Construction of the Jointly Operated Border Crossing Point Palanca on the territory of the Republic of Moldova” that is financed by the EU, co-financed by the Government of Moldova and implemented by UNDP. The budget of the project is €5.56 million, €4.5 million of which is provided by the EU, while €1.06 million by the Government of Moldova.
