At the 17th Advisory Board Meeting of the European Union Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine (EUBAM) held in Odessa today, participants including Moldovan and Ukrainian agencies and government representatives, the European Commission, the UNDP, and the OSCE, reviewed the activities and progress achieved by EUBAM as outlined in the Mission’s Activity Report for the period March-September 2011. The Advisory Board also confirmed the prolongation of the EUBAM mandate beyond 30 November 2011, and endorsed the Mission’s Phase 9 Action Plan.
EUBAM began operations in December 2005, with a mandate to provide support and technical advice to its main partners, the border guard and customs authorities of the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, as they seek to approximate their procedures to EU standards.
At today’s meeting, the Board noted the full range of border-management activities EUBAM is engaged in together with its partners, most notably its capacity building and training initiatives, support to the integrated border management process, customs controls and enhancement of customs revenue, EUBAM’s technical proposals towards building confidence between Chisinau and Tiraspol in the context of the Transnistrian conflict, as well as efforts at combating cross-border crime and corruption.
The Board singled out for mention the successful implementation of the 8th Joint Border Control Operation, AKKERMAN, acknowledging the significant contribution this intelligence-led strategy has made to the detection of cross-border crime. The Board also received an update on progress made in the demarcation of the Moldova-Ukraine state border from the Moldovan and Ukrainian delegations.
The Head of EUBAM, Mr Udo Burkholder, said that over almost six years of the Mission’s presence in the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, the partnership between EUBAM and Moldovan and Ukrainian border-management agencies had managed to raise standards in several areas.
“Six years ago we began operations here, and we wanted our relationship to be built on trust and understanding,” said Mr Burkholder. “Today we are very busy in putting together, with our partners in the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, all of the different elements that contribute to improving modern border-management procedures. The goal is a secure environment for trade and travellers, and sustainable economic development. We have also done our best to facilitate cross-border and international cooperation, because it is only through solid partnership and coordination that we can tackle the many challenges that remain.”
Mr Burkholder said that now that prolongation of EUBAM’s mandate had been confirmed, the Mission would intensify its capacity-building initiatives, continue to offer technical proposals as a contribution to the settlement of the Transnistrian conflict, and provide the Ukrainian and Moldovan authorities with support and advice in the visa liberalisation process.