The Moldovans with relatives in Italy face difficulties in sending parcels to this country. Many carriers refuse to accept parcels, arguing that they are not allowed to cross the border with them starting with January. For their part, the authorities say there are particular restrictions, but the carriers that obey the law do not encounter difficulties.

“We face problems and thus do not take parcels to Italy,” said a carrier contacted by IPN. He could not explain the essence of the problem, but said that the checks are more thorough and he does not accept parcels with food products and drinks, but only with documents, medicines and clothes.

Another carrier said problems appeared after smugglers tried to illegally take 100 kilograms of hashish from Spain into Moldova. According to him, the customs officers do not allow taking parcels over the border for the reason that these are not authorized and their content is not known.

A minibus driver said he tried to cross the border with parcels on December 31, but wasn’t allowed to and the parcels had stayed in the customs post for over two weeks.

Contacted by IPN, press officer of the Customs Service Tatiana Bogdan said that no bans were imposed and the legislation on the transportation of parcels wasn’t amended. “Those who obey the law and transport goods in admissible quantities do not meet with difficulties. The transported parcels must not be intended for commercial or production activities, while the quantities must be for personal use. Those who carry unaccompanied parcels must take into account the EU regulations that ban the transportation of cheese, meat and other products,” she said, noting that these rules apply to all the European states.

As to alcoholic beverages, the legislation allows one person to transport two liters of wine or five liters of beer, or one liter of spirit. Thus, a driver cannot transport more than the quantity allowed per person. When there are two drivers, the quantity can be doubled.