On 12 September, the Moldova-Romania-Ukraine Regional Customs Coordination Group convened in Chisinau, Moldova, under the leadership of EUBAM Head Slawomir Pichor. The meeting included key officials such as the newly appointed Director of the Moldovan Customs Service, Alexandru Iacub, Vice-President of the Romanian Customs Authority, Alexandru Dudu, and State Secretary Mircea Păscăluță, who presented Moldova’s bold plan to become a regional hub for international transport.

State Secretary Păscăluță outlined Moldova‘s strategic vision for transport infrastructure development, including the Lower Danube region. The long-term goal is to transform Moldova into a key player in international goods transport, with multimodal terminals planned for Ungeni, Chisinau, and Giurgiulesti port.

Among the upcoming initiatives are constructing a bypass road around Giurgiulesti village and expanding the access road between the Reni-Giurgiulesti and Giurgiulesti-Galati border crossing points to four lanes. This project, valued at over €15,000 and co-funded by the EU at 50%, is expected to significantly reduce congestion in the critical tri-border region of Ukraine, Moldova, and Romania.

Additionally, Andrii Donchenko, Head of the Service for Restoration in Odesa Oblast, provided an update on Ukraine’s plans to renovate border crossing points in the Odesa region, complementing Moldova’s efforts to streamline transport across borders.

Lidia Ababii, Deputy Director of the Moldovan Customs Service, offered insights into the progress of the implementation of the New Computerized Transit System (NCTS). This will connect Moldova’s national electronic system with the trans-European information network and streamline transit procedures for Ukrainian goods passing through Moldova and into Romania. The electronic exchange of data between Moldova, Romania, and Ukraine has the potential to greatly improve transit efficiency in the Lower Danube region.

Further updates were provided on coordinated control efforts at the Giurgiulesti-Galati border crossing point, where both physical infrastructure and formal negotiations between Moldova and Romania are advancing.

“All of the developments highlighted are indispensable for building robust cross-border connections in the Lower Danube region to support Ukrainian trade. In the longer term, these initiatives will not only benefit business and trade in Ukraine and Moldova but also contribute to deeper integration to the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T),” emphasized EUBAM Head Slawomir Pichor.