Newsroom Type: Press releases

From 25 July to 01 August 2023, EUBAM organized car search training sessions for 30 Moldovan and 25 Ukrainian Customs Officers. EUBAM conducted four sessions, one at Criva, one at the Mohyliv-Podilskyi Border Crossing Points and two at the Customs Control Zone Otaci.

The training covered European Union best practices for selecting a vehicle for risk-based control. Moreover, the focus was on using essential tools as an alternative to detect hidden goods, even when additional equipment is available. It also included different car search techniques and methods, current trends, and several indicators to figure out relevant cars for in-depth control.

This updating of knowledge will support the appropriate selection of vehicles for customs control. The outcome will be an increase in seizures and make it more difficult for criminals to cross the Moldovan border crossing points with prohibited or restricted items.

The Museum of the Customs Service of the Republic of Moldova, “Petru Costin” Collections Gallery of the Ialoveni District Council”, has enriched its collection with another personalized uniform.

The donation was made by Mr. Slawomir Pichor, Head of the European Union Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine (EUBAM), who passed his uniform to the collector Petru Costin, colonel of the Customs Service, founder of the Customs Service Museum, during a ceremony at the premises of the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Moldova.

In his turn, Petru Costin thanked the European official for his trust and donation, assuring him, at the same time, that his uniform would soon find its place of honor among those over 700 customs and military uniforms and caps in The Republic of Moldova and abroad, permanently exhibited at the Museum of the Customs Service of the Republic of Moldova.

Source: Customs Service of the Republic of Moldova 

EUBAM organized with the Customs Service of the Republic of Moldova and the Inspectorate for Non-Food Products Supervision and Consumer Protection a visit to Stuttgart to learn about German best practices for market surveillance and consumer protection.

Market surveillance in any country helps to ensure that any product that reaches the market and eventually our homes is safe. Just as important is that it supports a level playing field for companies.

Customs and consumer protection agencies play a vital role here because they monitor and control the import of goods already at the border and subsequently at market and, where necessary, impose corrective measures.

Germany has the largest national economy in Europe and is in the top 5 in the world. During the week-long visit, the Moldovan authorities met with their German colleagues to learn about the cooperation between customs and market surveillance agencies and exchange experiences.

On 15 April, the Republic of Moldova and Romania launched coordinated control in the Leuseni-Albita border crossing point to accelerate border traffic flow.

In the context of the EU-UA Solidarity Lanes Initiative, EUBAM facilitated a fact-finding visit of the delegation of the EU Commission Directorate General for Mobility and Transport (DG MOVE) in order to see the first results of this pilot project. The delegation also continued its dialogue with the Moldovan and Romanian border and customs authorities regarding streamlining the cargo and passenger traffic flow.

The Head of EUBAM, Slawomir Pichor, congratulated the project’s encouraging initial results and said there are enormous effects on border crossing speed when border authorities work together, clearance processes are harmonized, and infrastructure is well designed. “EUBAM remains an ardent advocate for integrated border management and the investments in the border infrastructure to support all of that.”

On 7 June, the EUBAM-led MD-RO-UA Customs Coordination Group gathered in Chisinau to discuss the recent developments for streamlining cargo through the Republic of Moldova.

The Group supports the EU-Ukraine Solidarity Lanes and meets every three months to alleviate pressure on the transport corridors for Ukrainian goods through the Republic of Moldova. It brings together the Customs Authorities of the Republic of Moldova, Romania, and Ukraine, but it is also a gathering place for other related institutions.

The participants talked about the operational situation changes in the cargo flow at road, rail, and river border crossing points, as well as developments and forecasts. The measures are meant to tackle the main bottlenecks and administrative barriers to increase the cargo flow of agricultural products.

The recent actions in EU-UA Solidarity Lanes have had concrete results. Firstly, in March-April, the jointly operated border crossing point Serpneve-1 – Basarabeasca was established, and a new railway link from Ukraine to the Republic of Moldova was launched, contributing to diversifying ways of Ukrainian cargo transportation. EUBAM advocated for the swift opening of this railway border crossing point since the rail connection was restored last year. “We welcome opening this important transport corridor for Ukrainian export, “the Head of EUBAM, Slawomir Pichor, said at the meeting.

In May, Ukraine extended the electronic queue system “eCherha” to the main border crossing points at the Ukraine-Moldova border. It provides benefits for carriers removing pressure on access roads. Also, dialogue with carriers resulted in better distribution of cargo flow among border crossing points. In addition, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine authorities have signed a protocol simplifying rail border crossing in transit.

EUBAM has had numerous meetings with the European Commission, Moldovan-Romanian-Ukrainian state authorities, and business associations in the past few months. “We are the catalyst for this platform where customs authorities share ideas and projects that could ease the situation. All those innovations have already impacted border management, and we hope for new developments in the coming months. In the meantime, EUBAM will also continue advocating for necessary investments for the border infrastructure,” explained Slawomir Pichor.

Drug trafficking is continuous all-around Europe. In the Republic of Moldova, the criminals are using the country as a transit to the EU. To fight against this kind of phenomena, EUBAM experts organized in May three training events for 50 Moldovan Customs Officers with the help of experts from Germany.

The officers from the Customs Service of the Republic of Moldova learned how to recognize different types of drugs and their affection on the person, indicators for possible drug smuggling and how to use drug wipe tests. Furthermore, the experts presented current case studies on drug smuggling in different ways and routes.

On 18 May 2023, the Head of EUBAM, Slawomir Pichor, met with the European Parliament Subcommittee on Security and Defence (SEDE) led by Chair Nathalie Loiseau that was visiting the Republic of Moldova.

The Head of Mission briefed the SEDE about the impact of war on border security and trade. Russia’s blockade of Ukrainian ports and destruction of railway connections in the Odesa region disrupted the usual trade routes for Ukrainian grain and other agricultural goods, threatening global food security. Thus, since the beginning of the war, it was a top priority for EUBAM to facilitate smooth border crossings of people and goods, improve security and raise processing capacities in the EU-Ukraine Solidarity Lanes initiative. In addition, the Head of EUBAM gave an overview of the Mission’s support in combating cross-border crime.

The delegation also visited Hirbovat’s internal customs control post at the administrative line. Moldovan Customs and Migration Authorities and our experts gave an overview of the trade aspects and types of control performed there.

Both in April and May, the Mission contributed to activities that helped raise awareness of the European Union and its positive aspects.
Throughout April, as part of the long-standing cooperation with the Odesa National Mechnikov University, EUBAM delivered three lectures within a unique course aimed at increasing awareness of functioning of the EU agencies and modern border management, including the context of the EU-UA Solidarity Lanes initiative. The students of the International Relations Faculty learned about the EUBAM activities and its mandate, Schengen acquis, Integrated Border Management Concept, and the role of Border Guard/Border Police and Customs in ensuring the border security and facilitating border crossing for legitimate trade and travelers.

On May 13, EUBAM participated in an event dedicated to Europe Day and Europe in Chisinau, the capital of Moldova. In addition to various projects related to the European Union, embassies, civil society and others were also represented on site. For the experts of the Mission, it was an opportunity to talk with the locals about EUBAM and the European Union in general.

This week EUBAM fostered a high-level trilateral meeting of the MD-RO-UA Regional Customs Coordination Group on Streamlining Cargo Traffic Flow and EU-UA Solidarity Lanes that focused on streamlining cargo flow through the corridor Reni-Giurgiulesti-Galati, one of the essential land-based corridors for Ukraine’s agricultural but also other products to the EU. The meeting was held at the Galati border crossing point in Romania.

The southern border-crossing points through the Republic of Moldova (Giurgiulesti-Reni) and further on to Romania (Giurgiulesti-Galati) have become vital lifelines for road cargo. Still, their infrastructure was not designed for such an increase in volume. As the pressure alleviation is vital for the functioning of that corridor, the neighbouring country’s customs authorities came together already the second time, having conveyed before in December, to discuss how to better manage cargo traffic in the case of emergency caused by the Russian strikes that damage critical infrastructure facilities in Ukraine thus disrupting the work of border crossing points at the Moldova-Ukraine border and having an impact on the movement across Moldova-Romania border.

The President of the Romanian Customs Authority, Mr Bogdan-Lari Mihei, together with the Head of EUBAM Slawomir Pichor, co-chaired the meeting where participants analyzed the fallback procedures used in emergency situations in the three countries, debated on improving the operational mechanism and identifying solutions to make shorter the time of reaction at the borders in case disturbances.

The representatives of the Romanian Customs Authority, Customs Service of the Republic of Moldova, and State Customs Service of Ukraine appreciated EUBAM’s consistent support against the challenges in border management. “We greatly appreciate the partnership with EUBAM, and this regional customs coordination group is very important for the relations among the customs authorities of Romania, Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, especially in today’s regional context where streamlining the traffic flow at the joint borders is key.”, Bogdan-Lari Mihei, President of the Romanian Customs Authority, stated.

In the spirit of good cooperation, EUBAM and the customs authorities of Romania, Republic of Moldova, and Ukraine, reiterated openness to active cooperation through coordination of joint actions and intensified efforts to ensure border protection. It was also decided to establish a trilateral working group to identify solutions to reduce the burden at the borders and to better manage traffic flow, in particular for agricultural products.

“Today, our Ukrainian partners make tremendous efforts to ensure the border and economic security at this critical time. We will continue supporting you as much as we can,” says Slawomir Pichor, Head of the EU Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine, after meetings in Kyiv and Odesa.

In Kyiv, the Head of EUBAM met with Maryna Mykhailenko, the Director of Department General for the EU and NATO from the Ukraine Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Head of Mission reaffirmed continuous solidarity with the people of Ukraine and respect for those who courageously have faced Russia’s unjustified military aggression for almost one year. He informed Madam Director about the EUBAM’s actions in response to the current security situation and the programming of the Mission’s future operations. Madam Director appreciated the EUBAM’s active role in supporting refugees fleeing from war and the border control agencies in managing the emergency as well as the good running of export of Ukrainian agricultural products through the EU-Ukraine Solidarity Lanes. She gave an overview of Ukraine’s agenda and priorities as an EU candidate country.

The meeting with Vadym Melnyk, Director of the Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine, focused on excise tax frauds in the face of the continued war and, more specifically, the illicit tobacco trade. Ultimately, the participants identified specific areas for further cooperation to tackle offences affecting economic security.

In the agenda in Kyiv were also meetings with the EU Ambassador to Ukraine, Matti Maasikas, and a.i. Deputy Chief of the IOM Mission in Ukraine, Steven Rogers, who were briefed about EUBAM’s work on the ground and developments in the mission area.

In Odesa, the Head of EUBAM met with the First Deputy Head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration, Borys Voloshenkov and the Head of the Southern Regional Directorate of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, Major General Serhi Mul. The Ukrainian partners talked about reinforced border enforcement measures and briefed the operational results of the activities to ensure border protection. The parties also discussed the EUBAM’s support in response to the current threats in border management and security to withstand the challenges caused by the unprovoked Russian aggression against Ukraine.

On the 27th of January European Union Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine (EUBAM) facilitated the signing of the Cooperation Action Plan between the Moldovan Customs Service and the State Inspectorate for the Surveillance of Non-Food Products and Consumer Protection. It will enhance partnerships and ensure the safety of products entering the market of the Republic of Moldova.

To ensure that unsafe or non-compliant products are not placed on the market, EUBAM brought together the customs and consumer protection authorities and facilitated several consultations to establish cooperation mechanisms in safety and compliance control. The Cooperation Action Plan was born and signed as a joint initiative to help follow best European practices and protect the Moldovan people.

During the event, the Acting Director of the Customs Service, Nicolae Vutcariov, mentioned that “market surveillance plays an important role in protecting consumers from using counterfeit products and goods, which may inflict harm to the health and safety of the users, therefore, the customs authority, with the support and assistance of the development partners and in cooperation with the State Inspectorate for the Surveillance of Non-Food Products and Consumer Protection, shall continue the awareness raising and information campaigns designated for importers in relation to their responsibility towards consumers and to protecting their legitimate rights and interests. Only with joint efforts we will manage to obtain results in this important area for the whole society.”

“We hope for effective cooperation and collaboration with the customs service because we want a market with safe products for all consumers in the Republic of Moldova. Based on notifications from the customs service, we will ensure the presence of inspectors at the place of customs clearance to be able to identify dangerous and counterfeit products and prohibit them from entering our country,” highlighted Sergiu Dărănuță, Head of the State Inspectorate for the Supervision of Non-Food Products and Consumer Protection.

“Products imported and placed on the Moldovan market must be checked to be safe and compliant before being released for free circulation. This Action Plan ensures that the citizens of Moldova as consumers will feel safer, and it will bring the country one step closer to the EU standards with regards to health and safety of consumers,” emphasized Slawomir Pichor, the Head of EUBAM, the importance of the plan.

The Moldovan Customs Service and the State Inspectorate for the Surveillance of Non-Food Products and Consumer Protection also signed the Order that will establish cooperation procedures and ensure smooth implementation of the Cooperation Action Plan.

On 30 November 2021, the 37^th Advisory Board Meeting of the European Union Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine took place in an online format. The event brought together representatives from the Foreign Ministries, border, customs and law enforcement agencies of the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, the European Union Delegations to the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, the International Organization for Migration, the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe and United Nations Development Programme.

The Advisory Board warmly welcomed its new chairman, His Excellency, Ambassador Jānis Mažeiks and got acquainted with an overview of activities performed by the Mission for the period of June – October 2021. The participants acknowledged the progress in the implementation of EUBAM 12 Action Plan, expressing their satisfaction with the continuous and active cooperation among the Mission and its Partner Services.

EU Ambassador to the Republic of Moldova, Jānis Mažeiks reiterated EU‘s commitment to build strong relations with its closest neighbours, based on genuine partnership. EUBAM is, in that respect, an illustration on how the EU continuously supports this objective, for the benefit of Moldovan and Ukrainian citizens: “I would like to congratulate all partners on the successful implementation of EUBAM 12 phase and to express our gratitude for their efforts, despite the challenges faced during this period of implementation. EUBAM continues to play a key role in promoting integrated border management and in fighting organized crime, and we would like to encourage all parties to continue their efforts for tangible results to be achieved in the coming months”.

The Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Ukraine, Matti Maasikas, said: “Recent crises have made the importance of a rapid and efficient coordination among cross-border agencies even clearer. The EU welcomes Ukraine’s readiness to re-criminalise smuggling to avoid losses to the state budget, to stop distorting competition among businesses and to ensure public health and safety. We are looking forward to having established legal and regulatory framework for criminalisation of large-scale smuggling including on jurisdiction for investigative mandate. We stand ready to support the agency mandated with investigative powers to develop the needed technical capacities. We also encourage Ukraine and Moldova to proceed carrying out joint border operations at the agreed border crossing points between the two countries and to expand joint control to other border crossing points along the common border, in accordance with the 2017 Agreement on Joint control, national IBM strategies and shared priorities. This is the best way to ensure people-to-people contacts, increase security and prevent cross border crime.”

Andrei Popov, the Head of Multilateral Cooperation Directorate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of the Republic of Moldova noted: “We would like to highlight the valuable contribution that the EUBAM has brought during these years to the implementation of the integrated border management, strengthening of the institutional capacity, staff training and combating cross border crime. The EUBAM advisory board meetings remain an efficient platform where we can assess the results of our common efforts, discuss in a sincere and pragmatic way the aspects that should be improved, thus giving new impetus to our further fruitful cooperation. In this context, we would like to express our gratitude to the Mission for the activity carried out in the last five months taking also into consideration the challenging times we are facing. We are convinced that we should continuously work together in order to achieve tangible results, in particular on the full implementation of the integrated border management concept. In this context, we would like to reiterate our willingness to continue our enhanced cooperation and encourage EUBAM to keep the same proactive approach in order to achieve our common goals.”

Mr. Serhii Saienko, Deputy Director General of the Directorate for the European Union and the NATO of Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated: “Combating cross-border crime, including drug and illicit firearms trafficking, as in any other country, requires the consolidated efforts of law enforcement agencies. The EUBAM assisted Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova in developing a government-led approach with a strategic vision to address and prevent both, which became potential threat and challenge nowadays. I would like to re-iterate the commitment of Ukraine to continue diligently implementing in full the integrated border management concept under the specific objective 2 in partnership with EUBAM and our partners from the Republic of Moldova”.

Head of EUBAM, General Slawomir Pichor thanked all the participants for their valuable contributions and said: “The developments during the reporting period have proven that, despite challenging times, it was still possible for EUBAM and its partner services to adapt to the new circumstances and move forward with the implementation of the Action Plan. With that being said, I would like to restate my appreciation to all our Moldovan and Ukrainian Partners for their cooperation and support and assure that EUBAM will continue to stay the same committed partner for contributing to a qualitative change in border management.”

The Advisory Board Meeting will meet again in June 2022.

On 25 June 2021, the 36^th Advisory Board Meeting of the European Union Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine was convened in an online mode. Representatives from the Foreign Ministries, border, customs and law enforcement agencies of the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, the European Union Delegations to the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, the International Organization for Migration, the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe and United Nations Development Programme participated in the meeting.

Among the main topics on the agenda of the meeting were confidence-building between two banks of the Nistru River, integrated border management, and prevention of cross-border crime. Following the discussion, the Advisory Board acknowledged the achievements EUBAM and its partner services made at the backdrop of still-developing COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time the Board welcomed the recent decision of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine to modernize priority border crossing points, as well as the agreement between the presidents of Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova on the creation of a new transport corridor between Kyiv and Chisinau.

European Union Ambassador to the Republic of Moldova, Peter Michalko chaired the EUBAM Advisory Board Meeting and reflected on the achievements EUBAM and its partner services made, highlighting immense progress in the cooperation between the partner services. “The areas covered by EUBAM in support of the partner services are relevant and of strategic importance, in interest of both the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine: support to the Transnistrian conflict settlement, the integrated border management including establishment of the joint border control along entire joint border, and the fight against trans-border crime. The EU continues to be close partner and friend of both Moldova and Ukraine, offering its support through EUBAM but also through other instruments, like projects that provide financing for building of infrastructure at the border crossing points,” Ambassador Peter Michalko said.

The Deputy Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Ukraine, Mr. Rémi Duflot, said: “Close cross-border cooperation between Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, two close partners of the European Union, is of key importance, and in the interest of both of them:  it would facilitate trade and people-to-people contacts and contribute to a high level of security. To achieve this, it is essential to start carrying out joint border operations at the agreed border crossing points between the two countries. I encourage the Ukrainian side to deliver the agreed renovation works and infrastructure. We stand ready to support such efforts, including through the EU Border Assistance Mission.”

Mr. Gheorghe Leucă, State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of the Republic of Moldova appreciated EUBAM’s contribution to the border management and risk analysis, at the same time, acknowledging the efforts of the Mission in supporting confidence building measures, implementing integrated border management and combating cross-border crime. Mr. Leucă stated, “We emphasize the primary focus of the ABM as the review of the achieved results in the last 5 months and assessment of the way forward in the extension of the joint border control. We remain convinced that we should more actively extend the joint border control, especially on the central part of the Moldovan-Ukrainian border, in compliance with the 2017 Agreement and the provisions of the Road Map 2019-2022. We encourage EUBAM to continue the result-oriented approach in order to achieve tangible progress thus contributing to ensuring stability and security in the region.”

Mr. Serhii Saienko, Deputy Director of the Directorate for the European Union and NATO, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, noted the importance of the EUBAM’s contribution in strengthening the institutional capacities of Customs and Border Guard partner services of Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, as well as in enhancing their cooperation to respond to challenges of a border nature. Mr. Saienko mentioned: “Ukraine highlights EUBAM’s visibility in Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova border area. That encourages and helps both countries to combine efforts to address challenges, ensure the efficiency of the integrated border management and to increase the effectiveness of countering cross-border crime.”

The Head of EUBAM, Mr. Slawomir Pichor said: “The last five months EUBAM did its best to enhance operational capabilities of our partner services through expertise, mentoring, and various capacity building events. Taking into account the recent positive developments in the epidemiological domain, I would like to express hope that the next period will bring even more opportunities for new joint initiatives and in person interaction. In the meantime let me reiterate EUBAM’s readiness to make every effort to support the border security and economic development in the region and to remain committed to the Moldovan and Ukrainian partners.”

The 37^th Advisory Board Meeting will be convened in November 2021.