Newsroom Type: News

In December 2019, EUBAM and its Partner Services, supported by EUROPOL, Frontex and OSCE, initiated the joint cross-border working group on fighting weapons, ammunition and explosives  trafficking (Arms Working Group). The Working Group was established to enhance Ukraine and Moldova’s efforts in combating illicit firearms trafficking.

On 26 February 2020, in the framework of this initiative, the 1^st Arms Working Group Meeting was held in Odesa. During the meeting experts from border, customs, police, security and nuclear regulatory agencies from the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, as well as Frontex, Europol and OSCE had the opportunity to exchange expertise and best practices and review trends and modus operandi in firearms trafficking in the region. Significant cases of weapons detection were also presented.

The members of the group agreed on the Action Plan for 2020 and expressed their confidence that the activities planned will significantly increase the international cooperation and enhance their operational capacity in counteracting this phenomenon.

On 19-20 February, the meeting on implementation of joint control on the Moldova-Ukraine border was held at EUBAM HQ in Odesa. It brought together representatives of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, the State Customs Service of Ukraine and the Border Police of the Republic of Moldova, the Customs Service of the Republic of Moldova respectively.

Participants of the meeting discussed border and customs issues related to launching of full-fledged joint control at ‘Kuchurhan – Pervomaisk’ and ‘Giurgiulesti-Reni’ border crossing points (BCPs). In this respect, the procedures on return of persons and goods were elaborated.

Beyond that, border and customs agencies’ representatives of the two countries exchanged views on further steps towards implementation of joint control at other BCPs on the Moldova-Ukraine state border.

Background information: Modernization and rehabilitation works at ‘Kuchurhan – Pervomaisk’ and ‘Giurgiulesti-Reni’ border crossing points are executed in the framework of the ongoing EU project ‘Enhancing integrated border management along the Ukraine-Moldova border’, implemented by IOM Ukraine (duration of the project: 01 November 2017 – 01 August 2020). Since ‘Palanca-Maiaky-Udobne’ jointly operated border crossing point (JOBCP)  was launched in December 2018, ‘Kuchurhan – Pervomaisk’ and ‘Giurgiulesti-Reni’ are the consequent JOBCPs on the Moldova-Ukraine state border, modernized with EU support after the new Agreement on joint control was signed by the Governments of Moldova and Ukraine in October 2017.

On 30 January, EUBAM hosted the 8^th Meeting of the Steering Committee of the EU project on ‘Enhancing Integrated Border Management along the Ukraine-Moldova border’, implemented by IOM Mission to Ukraine. Participants acknowledged a progress in the construction works at Kuchurhan-Pervomaisc and Reni-Giurgulesti border crossing points (BCPs). It was also agreed to extend the implementation period of the project until August 2020 due to broadening the scope of refurbishment works at Kuchurhan-Pervomaisc BCP and need for installing video control and automatic number plate recognition systems at those BCPs. The project is aimed at rehabilitating and enhancing the BCPs’ inspection facilities, and once completed it will facilitate the implementation of joint border control by both Ukrainian and Moldovan authorities in line with the EU best practices.

 Photo: New control booths at Reni BCP and Kuchurhan BCP 

On 23 January, in Kyiv, Head of EUBAM, Slawomir Pichor, held a working meeting with the Head of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, Serhiy Deyineko. The interlocutors discussed prospects for rolling out joint control to other border crossing points at the Ukraine-Moldova border, in particular progress in the construction works and equipment renewal of Reni-Giugiulesti and Kuchurhan-Pervomaisc jointly operated border crossing points, as well as some key technical aspects regarding the enforcement of the joint control procedures. EUBAM activities and initiatives with UASBGS and other partners aimed at fighting cross-border crime and threats assessment were also tackled upon.

Concluding the meeting, Sergiy Deyineko expressed his gratitude for EUBAM’s contribution to enhancing cooperation between the border agencies of Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova. On his turn, Slawomir Pichor assured UASBGS of the Mission’s continuous support to the modernization of the border management with the purpose of strengthening the border security and facilitating legitimate travel and trade.

A photo overview of the most significant achievements of EUBAM and its Partner Services in 2019                                                                                           

On 10 January, in Chisinau, EUBAM held a working meeting with the senior management of the General Border Police Inspectorate of the Republic of Moldova and discussed strengthening of the Border Police mobile units’ operations. In this respect, earlier, following the request addressed by the Head of the General Border Police Inspectorate for supporting further development of the Border Police mobile units, the Mission carried out a review of operations of MDBP mobile units and shared the findings with the management of the agency. To this end, EUBAM held numerous meetings and discussions with MDBP representatives and reviewed the relevant Moldovan legislation.

During the meeting, the parties acknowledged the assessment of the current situation and EUBAM’s recommendations on enhancing effectiveness of mobile units’ operations, and also agreed on the follow-up actions.

Background information: Moldovan Border Police mobile units aim is to prevent, detect and counteract cross border crimes linked to illegal circulation of persons and vehicles; ascertain violations related to illegal stay of foreigners, and illegal border crossing by persons or vehicles. To this end, mobile units are deployed to different locations depending on operational needs and based on the use of risk analysis. They are used to patrol the green/blue border areas, to conduct road inspections in the border area or could be involved in a special operation.

A photo overview of the most significant achievements of EUBAM and its Partner Services in August – November 2019

On 12 December 2019, the European Union Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine (EUBAM) together with the national Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) and supported by EUROPOL, Frontex and OSCE, launched a new joint initiative for counteracting illicit trafficking in weapons, ammunitions, explosives and chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) materials.

To this end, a Joint Cross-Border Working Group was set up and entrusted to strengthen the Partner Services’ efforts in assessing, preventing, detecting and investigating these specific crimes. The group will also serve as a platform for exchange of information and sharing experience and best practices.

At the kick-off meeting held in Odesa, on 12 December, the participating agencies discussed working modalities and joint activities for 2020, aimed at increasing competences of LEAs’ personnel as well as strengthening the operational response and analytical support in that field.

In this context, Slawomir Pichor, Head of EUBAM highlighted: “As we all know, illicit firearms trafficking presents a serious threat to the regional security, often linked to organized crime, that has adverse impact on the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine and the European Union. Therefore, through launching this new initiative, EUBAM strengthens, together with its Partner Services, their efforts in tackling this threat. Only by collective actions and coordinated efforts, we can effectively prevent and reduce the risk of the illicit trafficking in weapons, ammunitions and explosives. I am grateful to EUROPOL, Frontex and OSCE that agreed to partnered us in this challenging initiative”.

On 06 December the Head of EUBAM Slawomir Pichor awarded certificates to the best performing students of Odesa I. Mechnikov National University who graduated EUBAM Module within the University’s EU-Ukraine Cooperation Study Course. The visit of the students, accompanied by their professors, to EUBAM Headquarters in Odesa concluded the series of joint events held by the Mission and the University in 2019.

EUBAM has been organizing this course for the University’s students in the final year of their Bachelor’s degree studies at International Relation Department for the third year in a row already. This year EUBAM module on EU-Ukraine Cooperation was delivered in October – November 2019 and consisted of three lectures as well as a visit to jointly operated border crossing point (JOBCP) ‘Palanca-Mayaky-Udobne’. EUBAM experts from Estonia, Germany, Poland and Romania spoke about EUBAM’s mandate, trade facilitation, integrated border management and Schengen Acquis, specific border checks and customs control procedures implemented at JOBCP, as well as the cooperation between EUBAM and its Partner Services.

Addressing the students, Head of Mission expressed confidence that the knowledge the students gained during EUBAM’s lectures would benefit them during their future professional activity. ‘EUBAM feels honored and proud to be hosted in such a beautiful country. The successful cooperation with Odesa I. Mechnikov National University gives us hope that our mandate here is impacting not only the technical work of border and customs agencies but also the life of the local citizens and Ukrainian society as a whole.’ he added.

As market surveillance plays a crucial role in protecting people from unsafe products, EUBAM organized, in Chisinau, on 31 October, a workshop on this topic, engaging professionals from Chisinau and Tiraspol.

The workshop was attended by representatives of Moldovan Customs Service, Consumer Protection and Market Surveillance Agency, experts on market surveillance from Tiraspol, Transnistrian structures in the field of customs and economic development and Office of the Chief Negotiator on behalf of Transnistria.

During the thematic sessions, EU profiled experts introduced to the participants the EU products safety requirements, CE marking, the metrology and testing system, as well as import controls in the area of products safety and compliance. The practical discussions focused on protecting consumers from imported unsafe non-food products and increased the interaction between the structures in the area of market surveillance from both banks of the Nistru River. The invited EU experts placed emphasize on the proper market surveillance of toys, because the protection of children, as vulnerable consumers, is a top priority.

The event served as the first step in promoting the exchange of experience and training between the experts from Chisinau and Tiraspol in the use of systems and working procedures for ensuring effective market surveillance of non-food products.

The participants explored several ideas for thematic campaigns for business entities aimed at raising awareness of their responsibility towards consumers and protecting consumers’ rights and their legitimate interests.

On 30-31 October the EUBAM‘s Annual Task Force Tobacco meeting took place in Odesa. The event brought together experts from law enforcement agencies in the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and UK, as well as representatives from EU agencies Europol, Frontex and OLAF. Ukrainian Tobacco Association “Ukrtutun” and the major cigarette producers also attended.

The participants shared experience on recent trends, new modus operandi, emerging risks and effective countermeasures against tobacco products smuggling and committed to pool resources for further enhancing their efforts aimed at strengthening the fight against cigarette smuggling. The parties also acknowledged that the inter-agency risk analysis groups proven their effectiveness helping border and law enforcement agencies to be better prepared for the changes on the illegal cigarettes market. Moreover, the partnership between law enforcement agencies and law-abiding producers of cigarettes was assessed as mutually beneficial for reducing the illicit trade in tobacco products.

In the framework of this meeting, EUBAM also shared with the participants the final results of the Joint Border Control Operation (JBCO) ‘SCORPION’, completed in August 2019. The Operation focused on cigarettes smuggled into the European Union, in particular originating from duty-free shops and was co-organized by EUBAM and OLAF with the participation of Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Romania. Following the enhanced control activities based on intelligence information carried out by all the participating agencies and the information exchanged via the AFIS IT platform made available by OLAF, over 15 million pieces of cigarettes, smuggled through BCPs and also green border, were seized by the law enforcement agencies involved in JBCO ‘SCORPION’.

“Smuggling of cigarettes and their illegal production have become a serious problem over the past years. The cooperation among border and law enforcement agencies of the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine and EU has proven to be a valuable instrument in identification of determined smuggling way and channel as well as finding and dismantling facilities for illegal production of cigarettes. The good practices of information exchange and joint investigations should be continued and enhanced.”, stated  Slawomir Pichor, the Head of the European Union Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine.

On 19 September 2019, the Head of European Union Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine (EUBAM), Slawomir Pichor, visited the headquarters of Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, in Warsaw, where he met with its Executive Director, Fabrice Leggeri, to discuss collaboration on strengthening border management in the region as well as other forms of cooperation between the two organizations.

In a broader context, the meeting provided an occasion to discuss recent developments in the Integrated Border Management (IBM) at the EU level, as well as EU cooperation with the Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries.

EUBAM Head of Mission briefed on the EUBAM’s contribution to the implementation of the IBM concept in the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine and fighting cross-border crime in the region, also pointing out the support provided by the Mission to the EU-funded projects dedicated to the Moldova-Ukraine border. The Head of Mission also highlighted the mutual benefits resulted from the long-term close operational cooperation set up between EUBAM and Frontex.

On his side, Frontex Executive Director briefed on the Agency’s recently reinforced mandate as a major step forward in the EU’s collective ability to protect its borders and the opportunity it provides for closer cooperation with non-EU countries. Against this background, Frontex Executive Director informed that the structured cooperation between Frontex and the Eastern Partnership countries would continue and the Agency remained committed to build on the results achieved so far. Additionally, he appreciated EUBAM’s support to the implementation of Frontex’s operational activities in the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine.

The parties acknowledged that working together is important for aligning border management systems in the region with EU’s standards and practices and explored ways of strengthening the common efforts of EUBAM and Frontex in that regard.

Head of EUBAM extended to Frontex Executive Director the invitation to visit the Mission’s Headquarters in Odesa to experience on the ground the latest developments achieved in the region with the EU’s support.

On 11-12 September 2019, in Chisinau, EUBAM organized a workshop on customs procedures with economic impact – inward and outward processing procedures – for customs experts from the right and left bank of the Nistru River. The event was part of EUBAM’s efforts to enhance capacity and build confidence between customs professionals from Chisinau and Tiraspol, with the purpose of boosting the economy in the region.

Bearing in mind the benefits these procedures offer to economic operators, the workshop aimed to encourage and support customs experts to use them more efficiently for better serving the needs of the legitimate business, increasing economic competitiveness and trade facilitation. Moreover, the workshop created a unique opportunity to develop an interactive discussion platform between customs experts from both banks of Nistru River and EUBAM which helped to identify initiatives towards simplification of the inward and outward processing procedures.

Customs officers from Poland and Romania were invited by the Mission to introduce the the WCO and EU provisions related to the mentioned procedures, as well as practical cases of inward processing and best practice in the EU for issuing authorization and for granting the procedures.

Participating customs experts from both banks of Nistru River agreed on the importance of taking full advantage of the procedures in question and recognized the need for enhanced cooperation on that matter between customs administration and business community in fostering the economic development and improving the competitiveness of local industry.

“The benefits and opportunities provided by these customs procedures to economic operators are originating in the EU-Moldova Association Agreement. The workshop EUBAM organized today offered a better understanding on how inward and outward processing procedures are applied in the EU and what the needed steps are for aligning the local procedures to the EU standards with a view to simplifying them and promoting production, investment and foreign trade”, stated Head of EUBAM, Slawomir Pichor.

Background information:

Inward processing procedure means that foreign goods are imported in order to be used in the customs territory of the country in one or more processing operations, for instance, for the purposes of manufacturing or repair. When imported, such goods are not subject to import duty, other taxes related to their import, such as VAT and/or excises or commercial policy measures.

Outward processing procedure is designed to give businesses the possibility to take advantage of benefits such as lower labour costs or specific technical expertise in other countries.

On 06 September, the official opening of the Common Contact Point ‘Palanca’ (CCP) took place at the premises of the jointly operated border crossing point ‘Palanca-Mayaky-Udobne’. The event was attended by the senior management of the border agencies of the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, the Head of European Union Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine and the representatives of the International Organization for Migration.

The establishment of CCP ‘Palanca’ is a result of coordinated efforts of the Border Police of the Republic of Moldova and the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine. CCP ‘Palanca’ will ensure timely information exchange between the border agencies of the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine in relation to persons and vehicles crossing the border, alerts lists, specificities of local traffic, circumstances that could impact or affect the situation on the border as well as any other information relevant for situational assessment.

The opening of the Common Contact Point ‘Palanca’ delivers one of the major objectives under the Project ‘Enhancing Integrated Border Management along the Ukraine-Moldova Border’, financed by the European Union through the Eastern Partnership Integrated Border Management Flagship Initiative and implemented by IOM with EUBAM support.

‘CCP ‘Palanca’ will contribute to more effective combating of illegal migration, human trafficking and forged travel documents, finally, to strengthening the border security in the region’, said the Head of EUBAM, Slawomir Pichor.

On 29 August 2019, EUBAM donated six vehicles to Moldova’s General Border Police Inspectorate and Customs Service during a ceremony held at the Headquarters of Moldova’s General Border Police Inspectorate. The event was attended by the Head of European Union Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine (EUBAM), Slawomir Pichor, the Head of the Moldovan Border Police, Rosian Vasiloi and the acting Head of the Moldovan Customs Service, Iurie Ceban.

The vehicles, formerly used by EUBAM, are capable of operating in all terrain conditions and will increase both services’ operational mobility and patrolling capabilities.

Slawomir Pichor, Head of EUBAM, welcomed the handover pointing out that: “I am confident that these vehicles will be put to good use by both the General Border Police Inspectorate and Customs Service and will increase their ability to tackle cross-border crime in a wide range of conditions. Moreover, the reliability and performance of these cars together with their professional appearance will be not only supportive for the two services but will also give citizens the trust that the state authorities are properly equipped to protect them at any moment.”, he stated.

In his acceptance of the three vehicles, Head of Moldova’s General Border Police Inspectorate, Rosian Vasiloi, mentioned that he always appreciated the cooperation with the EUBAM and expressed his wish that the assistance provided to the Moldovan Border Police will continue to bring concrete results: “We are grateful to the EUBAM mission for the important support it has delivered to our institution and I assure you of the correct use of these vehicles handed over today. Moreover, improving working conditions for border police officers and providing them with everything needed is an absolute priority both for myself and the Border Police team.”

Receiving the vehicles, Acting Head of Moldova’s Customs Service, Iurie Ceban, conveyed his Service’s gratitude for the valuable methodological and technical assistance offered by EUBAM throughout the period of collaboration, expressing his conviction that “This donation will continue to help Moldovan Custom Service to efficiently prevent and combat the possible threats, by increasing our operational capacities within the surveillance missions, carried out by the specialized subdivisions of the Customs.”

As part of its handover and sustainability strategy, EUBAM donated other fourteen vehicles to its Moldovan partners in June 2016 and October 2017 respectively. The Mission continues the good work with Border Police and Customs Officers, offering them technical support in modernizing the border management for the benefit of the people and the trade.

On 21 August in Chisinau the Head of EUBAM Slawomir PICHOR held two meetings with the newly appointed Head of Border Police of the Republic of Moldova, Rosian Vasiloi, and the Acting Director of the Customs Service of the Republic of Moldova Iurie Ceban respectively. The parties summarized the jointly achieved results and outlined the prospects for future cooperation.

At the meeting of EUBAM and the Border Police of the Republic of Moldova discussion focused on measures aimed at strengthening the operations of the Border Police mobile teams. The participants also tackled the joint control at the Moldova-Ukraine border, highlighting its advantages in managing the flow of travellers and means of transport.  In this context,  Border Police reiterated its commitment and willingness to advance, with the support of Ukrainian counterparts and EUBAM’s assistance, the concept of joint control and joint border patrolling.

Likewise, at the meeting of EUBAM  and  the Customs Service of the Republic of Moldova, the sides discussed the recent legislative amendments regarding the activity of Duty Free Shops as well as the status of the draft of the New Customs Code developed with EUBAM’s support. The adoption of the new Code is considered to be an important step in fulfilling the commitments originating from EU-Moldova Association Agreement and the DFCTA. The parties also debated on the border crossing points infrastructure adjustments and rolling out the joint control on the Moldova-Ukraine border, fine-tuning of the pre-arrival information exchange system on the goods and means of transport moved over the Moldova-Ukraine border as well as on the joint border control operations.

„During these two important meetings both EUBAM and its Moldovan partner services reaffirmed their commitment to continue cooperation for achieving our commonly set objectives. The support expressed by the new management gives me trust that toghether we will smoothly move forward with the modernization of the border management  in the region.”, stated the Head of EUBAM.

A photo overview of the most significant achievements of EUBAM and its Partner Services in April-July 2019