Following a Port Study conducted in 2014 in Ukraine at the ports of Odessa and Illichivsk (now
referred to by its new name of Chornomorsk) by EUBAM and the State Fiscal Service of Ukraine
(UASFS), the Moldovan Customs Service (MDCS) requested that a similar exercise be carried out
at the port of Giurgiulesti during 2015. As a result and following consultations it was agreed that
EUBAM, MDCS and the USAID/BRITE1 project would collaborate together on the assignment.
Although the Giurgiulesti International Free Port (GIFP) is relatively small in comparison to other
European ports, it is Moldova’s only access to the sea and enjoys a strategic location bordering
Ukraine and the EU with Romania. In recent years it has seen a signifi cant increase in cargo
throughput which in turn has influenced improvements to infrastructure in the south of the country,
thereby further increasing the port’s importance as a regional logistics hub with access to road, rail,
river and sea.
Focused on container traffi c, the study reviews the work of several of the border control services
(BCS) charged with the clearance of cargo at the port and also identifi es areas where through
simplifying and modernising procedures commercial enterprise could be expanded and international
trade further developed.
The legislative framework governing the GIFP’s activities is set out in the Investment Agreement
“On the Giurgiulesti International Free Port”, approved by Law No. 7-XV of 17 February 2005, the
Law on International Free Port Giurgiulesti No.8-XV February 17, 2005 and the Agreement between
the Government of Moldova and ICS “Danube Logistics” SRL of 21 April 20052 - the general Investor
and port operator. The investment agreement signed with the Ministry of Economy in December
2004 leases the land for a period of 25 years and confers the status of a ‘free economic zone’
to the entire territory of the port until 2030. In addition, GIFP is exempted from the provisions of
Moldovan legislation on competition and natural monopolies, and benefits from preferential income
tax treatment (25% of the national rate for the fi rst 10 years and 50%, like other Moldovan Free
Economic Zones (FEZs), thereaer)3 .
Because of the port’s strategic importance, it has understandably been the subject of considerable
scrutiny over the short time of its existence. Reports have focused on identifying deficiencies in port
operations and proposing corrective measures. This study has taken into account previous findings,
consulted with the trade - as far as was possible, and made analysis of the border controls and
procedures of customs and other border control services actively engaged at the GIFP. It delivers
a number of recommendations that should not only benefi t the border services but also impact
positively on the potential for investment and commercial growth at the port. It should however
be noted, that despite repeated requests to residents and shipping companies at the port for
information in the form of a questionnaire, a low level of interest and response was experienced by
EUBAM.
The potential for improvement by Moldova is refl ected in the World Bank ‘Logistics Performance
Index4
’ (LPI), which in 2014 ranked Moldova at number 94 out of a total of 160 countries and
Customs operations at 98 as seen from the comparison table below set against a background of
previous rankings.
