The transport ministries of Moldova and Ukraine have launched the opening of a border crossing point between the two countries after repairs, EEAS reports.
On 16 May, during a multilateral meeting Quint State Secretary of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Regional Development (MIDR) Mircea Păscăluță, together with his colleagues – State Secretary of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure of Romania Irinel Ionel Scrioșteanu and Deputy Minister of Community Development, Territories and Infrastructure of Ukraine Serhiy Derkach – announced that the joint control point Giurgiulesti-Reni started functioning after the renovation of the Reni border crossing point.
The Moldovan and Ukrainian control services will be able to cooperate in order to facilitate the transit of goods and passengers thanks to this checkpoint. The project is the result of joint efforts of Moldova, Ukraine, Romania and partners from the EU and the US within the framework of the Quint meetings.
The renovated border crossing point will make it possible to simplify the customs regime for lorries and buses, for which there are special lanes. Passengers will no longer have to stop at the Moldovan border crossing point, as all control procedures will be carried out by the Ukrainian side. This will significantly reduce the waiting time at the border crossing.
State Secretary Mircea Păscăluță emphasized the importance of this moment during the Quint Meeting:
We marked an important moment for the connection between the three countries. Our commitment to support Ukraine in the process of rebuilding infrastructure remains strong. We want to allow transport to easily pass through the Republic of Moldova, from Ukraine to the EU and vice versa. We submitted a co-financing project regarding the access road to the border crossing point to the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF). This road has now two lanes, and expanding it to four lanes will greatly facilitate transportation.
Adina Vălean, Commissioner for Transport, also said:
Since the establishment of the Solidarity Lanes in May 2022, the Danube corridor has been an excellent example of the close cooperation between Ukraine, Moldova and Romania – the largest share of goods exiting and entering Ukraine have used this corridor for the past two years, with logistics costs comparable to the Black Sea route. With our support, today’s inauguration of the enhanced border crossing between Ukraine and Moldova in Reni will further reduce the waiting times at the border, and thus increase the attractiveness of this route.
First delegations at the renovated crossing point
Moreover, on Monday, a delegation led by State Secretary Mircea Păscăluță visited the Giurgiulesti-Galati border crossing point (BCP), where they discussed with State Secretary Irinel Ionel Scrioșteanu, as well as with representatives of the EU and the US the possibility of setting up a coordinated crossing point in Galati. In this context, the sides elaborated a common work programme.
The creation of the Giurgiulesti-Galati coordinated checkpoint, in addition to the extension of the access road between the two BCPs, will reduce the level of congestion of freight and passenger traffic at both border crossing points (Reni-Giurgiulesti and Giurgiulesti-Galati) by opening a high-speed corridor (green corridor) on the territory of the Republic of Moldova, continuing on the territory of Romania to the ports of Galati and Constanta.
