SHOTLIST Romanian-Moldova border, near Galati 1. Border sign at Galati crossing reading "Romania EU" 2. Cars queuing to cross the border 3. Moldavian car being checked 4. Romanian officer checking passports and car documents 5. Close up of Moldavians' passports being checked 6. SOUNDBITE: (Romanian) Moldavian mother of two boys, no name given, vox pop: "We came here for a better life, to raise our children. We have no jobs, we have nothing." 7. Two children in car 8. SOUNDBITE: (Romanian) Little boy, one of the Moldavian children, no name given, vox pop: "It is much better here in Galati." 9. Passports being checked by electronic device 10. Moldavian passport being stamped 11. Various of customs officer checking Moldavian car, under and inside 12. Various of customs sniffer dog checking truck 13. Moldavian man unloading boxes with apples from car 14. Cutaway of apple boxes 15. SOUNDBITE: (English) Stefan Schneider, security expert, Frontex (European Union independent border security body) "There are two main problems. The first problem is the smuggling of cigarettes, any kind of car, or truck. And the other thing is that Moldavians can obtain their visa for free, from Romania, so they enter the state of Romania here at the eastern border legally, but afterwards they change their documents to counterfeit documents and try to go on to western European countries." 16. Various of the Danube River in the city of Galati 17. Various of Moldavians carrying and displaying merchandise on the street in Galati 18. SOUNDBITE: (Romanian) Maria, Moldavian woman, no last name given, vox pop: "I worked for 36 years as a teacher, and I cannot sell my products at home." 19. Various of products in the market 20. Mid of plastic bags on hook at market stall reading "Romania-Europa" Cahul, Moldova 21. Mid of sign reading: Cahul 22. Woman carrying her bags to the bus 23. SOUNDBITE: (Romanian) Tamara, Moldavian woman, no last name given: "We have a very low living standard, we have almost nothing, no money, so I have to leave my children and my house behind, and leave the country to work." 24. Tamara kissing her friend goodbye 25. Tamara waving through bus window 26. SOUNDBITE: (Romanian) Katia, Tamara's daughter, no last name given "Mother just left for Moscow, to work for us, to support us. We have no father so she has to leave us alone and go to work." 28. Bus passing by 29. Katia and her little sister waving goodbye STORYLINE: Home to some 300-thousand people, the eastern Romanian city of Galati, on the banks of the Danube River, is also close to one of the most sensitive European Union borders in eastern Europe. Located 250 kilometres from the Romanian capital Bucharest, near the border with Moldova, many Moldavians regularly cross into Galati in search of a better future. "We came here for a better life, to raise our children. We have no jobs, we have nothing," said a Moldavian mother of two at the Romanian border. While her papers were being checked by Romanian police, her two young sons leaned out of the window of their family car. "It is much better here in Galati," one of her little boys said. Situated between Romania and Ukraine, Moldova was once part of Romania until it was annexed by the Soviet Union in 1940, and gained independence with the 1991 Soviet collapse. It is one of the poorest countries in Europe and has a high unemployment rate. Facing widespread poverty at home, Moldavians cross the border to either find work in EU countries or in Russia, or to sell their products in towns along the Romanian border. "I worked for 36 years as a teacher, and I cannot sell my products at home," said Maria, a Moldavian woman selling goods in Galati. Nonetheless, Romania has tight border controls. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/190479c0acff22eb436d908e0e4d723b Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork

• published: 21 Jul 2015
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