Kyiv – Travellers and traders using the border crossing between Ukraine and Moldova will soon see decreased queues and waiting times thanks to a new European Union-funded project implemented by IOM, the UN Migration Agency, and the EU Border Assistance Mission to Ukraine and Moldova (EUBAM).

Two border crossing points are being modernized: Kuchurhan-Pervomaisk and Reni-Giurgiulesti. A jointly operated-border crossing point regime is being established, where Ukrainian and Moldovan border and customs agencies will work “under one roof” on the Ukrainian side of the frontier.

IOM is also providing equipment – from furniture and internet servers to weighing and inspection machines.

“The flow through these two border crossing points reaches over three million people and 800,000 vehicles per year,” noted Ambassador Hugues Mingarelli, Head of the EU Delegation to Ukraine. “The EU supports Ukraine and Moldova in strengthening the security of their joint border, and we are also working for simpler and faster border crossing for travellers and goods.”

The Kuchurhan-Pervomaisk crossing point, located at the Transnistrian section of the frontier, is the busiest, with about 1,800 vehicles and 7,300 persons crossing daily. Control is exercised by both Ukrainian and Moldovan authorities on the Ukrainian side.

The Reni-Giurgiulesti crossing point is also one of the busiest with a high volume of trucks transporting grains for export from Moldova; several large ports and warehouses are also located nearby.

In addition to the refurbishment of the two border crossing points, IOM will help Ukraine and Moldova establish an automated system for information exchange on travellers and vehicles, and provide equipment to set up a common contact point at the Palanca border crossing in Moldova. This will ensure real time data provision for the Ukrainian and Moldovan agencies managing the border.

“We are delighted to be working with the border management and migration agencies of both countries to improve infrastructure and equipment in the selected crossing points,” said IOM Ukraine Chief of Mission Thomas Lothar Weiss.  “Thanks to the European Union, improvement of the jointly operated border crossings will facilitate more secure, transparent, efficient and faster border control and customs procedures. It will bring both countries up to European standards in integrated border management.”

For more information, please contact Varvara Zhluktenko at IOM Ukraine, Tel: +38 044 568 50 15, +38 967 447 97 92, Email: vzhluktenko@iom.int