On the 27th of January European Union Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine (EUBAM) facilitated the signing of the Cooperation Action Plan between the Moldovan Customs Service and the State Inspectorate for the Surveillance of Non-Food Products and Consumer Protection. It will enhance partnerships and ensure the safety of products entering the market of the Republic of Moldova.
To ensure that unsafe or non-compliant products are not placed on the market, EUBAM brought together the customs and consumer protection authorities and facilitated several consultations to establish cooperation mechanisms in safety and compliance control. The Cooperation Action Plan was born and signed as a joint initiative to help follow best European practices and protect the Moldovan people.
During the event, the Acting Director of the Customs Service, Nicolae Vutcariov, mentioned that “market surveillance plays an important role in protecting consumers from using counterfeit products and goods, which may inflict harm to the health and safety of the users, therefore, the customs authority, with the support and assistance of the development partners and in cooperation with the State Inspectorate for the Surveillance of Non-Food Products and Consumer Protection, shall continue the awareness raising and information campaigns designated for importers in relation to their responsibility towards consumers and to protecting their legitimate rights and interests. Only with joint efforts we will manage to obtain results in this important area for the whole society.”
“We hope for effective cooperation and collaboration with the customs service because we want a market with safe products for all consumers in the Republic of Moldova. Based on notifications from the customs service, we will ensure the presence of inspectors at the place of customs clearance to be able to identify dangerous and counterfeit products and prohibit them from entering our country,” highlighted Sergiu Dărănuță, Head of the State Inspectorate for the Supervision of Non-Food Products and Consumer Protection.
“Products imported and placed on the Moldovan market must be checked to be safe and compliant before being released for free circulation. This Action Plan ensures that the citizens of Moldova as consumers will feel safer, and it will bring the country one step closer to the EU standards with regards to health and safety of consumers,” emphasized Slawomir Pichor, the Head of EUBAM, the importance of the plan.
The Moldovan Customs Service and the State Inspectorate for the Surveillance of Non-Food Products and Consumer Protection also signed the Order that will establish cooperation procedures and ensure smooth implementation of the Cooperation Action Plan.
