Illegal road transport in Iasi
According to multiple complaints from citizens, illegal road transport of people is carried out from Iasi International Airport. People without a transport license, qualifications and authorizations are making flights to Chisinau (Republic of Moldova) in exchange of money. The price is 20 euros. All this is happening under the watchful eye of the Iasi Air Transport Police, the competent authority to take action. USR MEP Vlad Gheorghe has raised these issues both on the spot and officially. However, the authorities have not yet solved the situation.
“The Air Transport Police told me that in such cases they do not have what measures to take – the employee to whom I reported the problem justified that she is alone on shift and fails to perform a thorough surveillance in the airport. It was only after I had identified myself that she agreed to go to the persons in question, whom the Air Transport Police employee questioned about their activities at the airport. Although they confirmed what I had initially reported, no active action was taken against the illegal carriers”, reports Vlad Gheorghe, member of the Renew Europe MEP group.
Iași Airport Border Crossing Point manages border control of persons and goods entering or leaving Romania through the airport. Now, with the influx of Ukrainian refugees coming from Moldova, local authorities should be extremely alert to possible illegal activities.
Complaint to the local authorities
“We have referred to the Iasi County Council and the Iasi Airport Autonomous Regia for investigation on the reported facts. We are taking all necessary measures to prevent such crimes. The airport administration must authorise taxi drivers at the airport in accordance with Law no. 38/2003 on transport by taxi and for hire, with subsequent amendments and additions, and the people in the premises of Iași airport, whom I reported to the police on 12.03.2022 were illegally practicing transport activities, as they did not have a transport licence”, explains MEP Vlad Gheorghe.
It is not a question of tax evasion, but most importantly of safety of people who undertake such illegal services.
“The drivers do not have professional certificates. The cars are not properly checked. Additionally, most likely the speed at which they drive is above the limits of the Highway Code. The ultimate goal is exclusively profit – the shorter the trip, the more trips can be made daily by illegal carriers. Moreover, providing such transport services at such a low cost for a distance of more than 150 km is clearly misleading vulnerable people – these are textbook conditions for preparing to commit other crimes”, warns the USR MEP, a lawyer by profession who since taking office in the European Parliament in November 2020 has submitted more than 150 interpellations and complaints to national authorities.
