Moldova, Romania to sign Agreement on extending coordinated control at Leuseni–Albita border crossing point

Moldova and Romania in April 2026, are to sign the Agreement on extending coordinated control at the Leuseni–Albita border crossing point. The document is updated annually, following an analysis of cross-border flows and other technical indicators. Head of the Customs Service Radu Vrabie has made statements to this effect in an interview given w with MOLDPRES, due to be published on March 30, this year.

According to the Customs Service’s leadership, at present, on the border with Romania, coordinated control is applied at two customs posts: Leuseni–Albita and Giurgiulesti–Galati, on the outbound direction from the country.

“We intend to continue this practice, with a view to establishing coordinated control at other border customs posts/state border crossing points as well, such as Ungheni–Ungheni. We aim to have bidirectional coordinated control, meaning both on the territory of Moldova and on the one of Romania. This mechanism has delivered results and, over time, we see that things have improved. There are still technical matters to be finalized, but it is a process that is in constant improvement. At the Leuseni–Albita border post, the Agreement on coordinated control is extended annually. Thus, we carry out an analysis of the flows and deficiencies. After that, together with the Border Police, we submit a proposal to our counterparts of Romania, in order to extend this Agreement. The document is to be signed in April 2026,” said Radu Vrabie.

As for the border crossing points on the frontier with Ukraine, the head of the Customs Service noted that, despite the war, all posts were operating under normal conditions.

“We have seven border customs posts that operate on the basis of a treaty between Moldova and Ukraine, where joint control is in place. Together with our colleagues from Ukraine, we intend to analyze the 67 border crossing points inherited from the Soviet period – international, interstate, and local – in order to see which of them justify their existence, both from the perspective of passenger traffic and the one of goods. We will come up with a proposal for optimization: fewer points, but better equipped. These actions will not affect people’s lives; they will adapt the system to current economic realities,” said Radu Vrabie.

The official emphasized that facilitating traffic at customs posts was one of the institution’s priorities. Thus, according to the Customs Service’s leadership, the measures undertaken in this regard “aim to facilitate trade, especially exports, in order to give economic operators from Moldova the possibility to reach destination markets as quickly as possible.”

“In recent years, especially after the outbreak of the war, most trade has shifted to the western border, with Romania. Four years ago, there were long queues. Nevertheless, my colleagues, together with those from the Border Police, managed to handle these flows. Presently, cross-border traffic is being managed smoothly and professionally. We are in a favorable situation: we have very good relations with both neighbouring states. At the beginning of my mandate, I took part in a trilateral meeting in Chernivtsi, where we established several actions, especially regarding the fight against fraud and the enhancement of control efficiency. I have also recently paid a visit to my counterpart from the Romanian Customs Authority, where we discussed bilateral cooperation and Romania’s support in the process of European integration,” added Radu Vrabie.

The head of the Customs Service also announced a string of measures to ease cross-border traffic during the Easter holidays, when many citizens from abroad return home, while others leave on vacation.