Igor Munteanu
“I think everyone in Brussels – those who want Moldova to join the European Union – understands perfectly well how our institutions actually work. We cannot claim that the case in Albica is an isolated one. It looks isolated only because it was detected by Romanian customs officers. But there are probably many other cases where contraband or military equipment is transported undetected. In addition, our border with the separatist region of Transnistria, as well as with Ukraine, is rather poorly adapted to the risks of cross-border transportation. On the one hand, corruption is deeply rooted in our border and customs control system, as evidenced by reports of cigarette smuggling, which has flourished in recent years. On the other hand, there are obvious actions of organized criminal groups in Moldova, which make money on nothing, because the security and control structures do not function properly,” Munteanu said.
The expert notes that the issue of border security should be considered comprehensively, including both technical measures and personnel reforms, and most importantly, realistically.
“What I said is not pessimistic, but rather a call for a realistic approach and intensive work so that the institutions that are supposed to prevent such cases really take responsibility.”
According to Igor Munteanu, the problem is not only the bad faith of employees, but also the weakness of the system itself.
“There is a lot of bravado and, unfortunately, little real consistent work. First of all, there is a need for lustration. There are so many cases of people from the system sabotaging standards and existing regulations. Secondly, we need radical changes in the system of prevention of such cases. And prevention includes, among other things, the use of scanners that have been purchased but are not used. Why, for example, is our border with Romania not properly patrolled? And why is there no reliable risk assessment system on the administrative line with Transnistria? This is not only about borders, it is about an administrative line with a high risk of interaction”.
Munteanu points to the lack of political will, without which any control efforts are meaningless.
“If these issues are not explained in political terms, how then can a simple customs officer be held responsible for illegal transportation that he, in fact, missed?”.
