Moldova loses EUR 18 mln because of poultry smuggled via Transnistria

Moldova’s budget losses because of poultry smuggled through the Transnistrian region could reach EUR 18 mln (October 2005 – May 2006). At the same time, Ukraine’s losses are estimated at MDL 43 mln, Yen Boug, the head of the European Commission Office to Ukraine declared at the third meeting of the Coordinating Council of CE Border Assistance Mission, which took place in Odessa on September 21. According to a press release of the Mission, CC of the Mission has ascertained that the circulation of goods, including of food products, is not blocked on the monitored segment and there are no administrative or other kinds of obstacles for imports to the region. The number of companies registered in Chisinau according to the new customs regime has increased up to 230. 107 of them have permanent statute and 123 – provisory. Boug qualified this fact as positive for ensuring goods’ circulation transparency. The Coordinating Council approved the first installment, amounting to EUR 3.3 mln, for the BOMMOLUK projects, aiming at improving control on the Moldovan-Ukrainian border. The total budget of the project financed by EU amounts to EUR 9 mln. The EU Border Assistance Mission on the Transnistrian segment started its activity on November 30, 2005.