Newsroom Type: News

On 19 December, Head of European Union Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine (EUBAM) Slawomir Pichor was on a working visit to Odesa to discuss economic and border security of the region. During the visit, the Head of Mission held a working meeting with the Head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration Maksym Marchenko along with representatives of regional border guard and customs services’ management.

The Head of EUBAM briefed the participants on the Mission’s activities and latest trends at the Moldova-Ukraine border. The parties discussed energy situation in the region and its influence on the transit capacity of the Moldova-Ukraine border. The sides also discussed the optimization of cargo flows from Ukraine to the EU, as well as the ways to ensure the steady export of grain from Ukraine and import of vital goods from European states. At the same time, representatives of Odesa region’s border and customs authorities commended the good cooperation with the Mission, highlighting the training events for more than one hundred Ukrainian Customs Officers in last five months.

Maksym Marchenko emphasized the importance of EUBAM’s work in the Odesa region during the war. “The Ukraine-Moldova border had been formed over decades and it is not just a strip of land that separates two states, it is a complex mechanism and our joint task is to maintain its safe and comfortable functionality, especially now during the period of martial law,” said the Head of the Regional Military Administration.

In his turn, Slawomir Pichor stressed the Mission’s support for the development of border infrastructure in the Odesa region that will strengthen the transport potential of Ukraine. In particular, the Head of EUBAM advocated for the launch of full-fledged joint control at Basarabeasca-Serpneve-1 railway BCP. Slawomir Pichor stated, “EUBAM continues support and is ready to cooperate even more to provide assistance to Ukraine in effective border management, while maintaining a high level of security”.

Under the auspices of European Union Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine (EUBAM), trilateral meeting in Giurgiulesti, brings together Moldovan, Romanian and Ukrainian customs authorities to enhance the response to arising emergency and to improve cargo flow in Reni-Giurgiulesti-Galati area.

One of the essential routes from Ukraine to the EU runs through the Republic of Moldova (Giurgiulesti-Reni) and further on to Romania (Giurgiulesti-Galati). With the onset of Russian war of aggression and blockade of maritime transportation corridors, these roads in the South are of a vital importance for Ukrainian economy, both in terms of export of agricultural goods and import of so much needed fuel and humanitarian aid. Now, with the intensification of indiscriminate Russian missile strikes at Ukrainian critical infrastructure, the borders between these three countries are even more overloaded and to get from Ukraine to Romania through the Republic of Moldova for one truck, it can take more than a week.

That’s why, on 8 December 2022, in Giurgiulesti (the Republic of Moldova), EUBAM convened a working meeting with management of the regional customs authorities from the Republic of Moldova, Romania, and Ukraine. The participants examined current situation at the borders between the three countries in Reni-Giurgiulesti-Galati triangle, looking for practical solutions to alleviate the pressure on the overloaded border infrastructure.

During the meeting, the parties discussed possible ways to optimize contingency procedures to better manage the cargo traffic in case of emergency power outages. The sides noted the importance of delivering new generators, fuel, and uninterruptible power supply systems for Border Crossing Points in Reni-Giurgiulesti-Galati area. At the same time representatives of the three customs agencies explored possibilities to enhance organization of cargo traffic. For instance, the sides indicated the possibility of re-directing trucks to less congested BCPs and revitalizing the work of additional BCPs in vicinity of Giurgiulesti-Reni.

While discussing the current situation at strategic level, the participants highlighted a need for the swift opening of the Basarabeasca-Berezino rail connection that will allow the daily transportation of more than ten thousand tons of cargo, thus significantly reducing the congestion at the Moldova-Ukraine road BCPs. Parties also underlined the importance of broader use of NCTS for streamlining the cargo flow and increasing awareness of Ukrainian business to use it more actively. In the end, the sides agreed to coordinate joint actions and continue cooperation in handling emergency situations caused by indiscriminate Russian missile strikes.

This week 11 Moldovan customs officers trained their skills in interpreting x-ray images. The EUBAM and Celbet organized the event to enhance the skills to properly arrange X-ray scanning processes, recognizing when a scan shows forbidden goods transported by different means.

The week-long training consisted of a practical part at the Training Center of the Customs Service on interpreting x-ray images. At the Leuseni border crossing point, the participants learned more about the organization of the scanning process and the benefits of implementing non-intrusive inspections during customs clearance.

This kind of training will strengthen the capabilities of the Customs Service to prevent and counter the flow of illegal goods at the border and to carry out checks using non-intrusive equipment. As this was the “Train the Trainers” format, the 11 officers can return to their duty stations and pass on the knowledge to their colleagues.

The Directorate General for Trade of the European Commission (DG Trade) officials visited the Moldova-Ukraine and Moldova-Romania border crossing points in Giurgiulesti area to receive the first-hand experience on the implementation of EU-Ukraine Solidarity Lanes initiative.

On 18 November, EUBAM together with the EU Delegation to the Republic of Moldova organized a fact-finding visit to the South of the Republic of Moldova for officials from DG Trade and EU Delegations from Eastern Partnership and Western Balkan countries. The EU officials visited two Moldovan border crossing points Giurgiulesti-Reni and Giurgiulesti-Galati, where they were able to see with their own eyes the efforts of the Moldovan Customs and Border agencies that are aimed at supporting EU-launched Solidarity Lanes Initiative. At the same time a visit was paid to International Free Port Giurgiulesti, so that the participants could accustom themselves with the peculiarities of the Port’s terminals work and witness the forwarding and transport operations through the Danube route.

During the visit, the Head of EUBAM Slawomir Pichor presented the Mission’s support for implementing the EU-led Solidarity Lanes Initiative. In the same vein, the Head of Mission informed EU representatives on the current situation in the area, emphasizing the need for assistance in upgrading border infrastructure. The Head of EUBAM also advocated for investment in IT solutions to further facilitate the movement of Ukrainian agricultural export, such as “e-Booking TRUCK” system that enables customers carrying out international road transport operations to reserve the date and the time of the Customs control services in advance. From his side, Deputy Head of the Customs House South, Andrei Botnari briefed the visitors on efforts of Moldovan Customs Service to reduce unprecedented queues at Moldovan borders with Ukraine and Romania and ease the strain on the transport bottlenecks.

Within the framework of the visit, DG Trade and EU Delegations’ officials were able to see the situation on the ground, in particular traffic bottlenecks that hinder the movement of cargo. In this regard, EU representatives were able to gather valuable information, map out main challenges and assess needs in cooperation with Moldovan authorities, which overall, will be beneficial for the functionality of the Solidarity Lanes and export of Ukrainian agricultural products throughout the alternative transport corridors.

On the 9^th of November, EUBAM held the annual Task Force Tobacco meeting in Chisinau, the Republic of Moldova. Representatives from law enforcement agencies of the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine, Poland, Romania, SELEC, Europol and OLAF, as well as the private sector, examined the implications of Russia’s war of aggression on the illicit cigarette trade in Europe.

The meeting concentrated on three topical issues – new trends in illicit cigarette trade, changes in smuggling routes and investigation of illegal manufacturing. During the meeting, the business sector presented its overview on the European illicit cigarette markets; the representatives of the EU agencies talked about the results and most effective methods of combating illicit cigarette manufacturing; and Ukrainian and Moldovan officials shared insights on the recently dismantled illegal cigarette manufacturing sites in their countries.

All parties concluded that the war had changed the economic landscape and influenced the patterns of the illicit tobacco trade. The sanctions imposed on Russia and Belarus and the blockade of some transport corridors have significantly decreased the smuggling of cigarettes to the EU but resulted in the increase of illicit cigarette manufacturing there. Therefore, the participants emphasized the need to strengthen surveillance over raw materials for cigarette production and listed specific risk indicators to detect illicit trafficking at the earliest opportunity to better cope with that phenomenon.

The European Union Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine (EUBAM) launched Task Force Tobacco in 2010. It offers a platform for law enforcement agencies of the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine, Poland, and Romania, as well as EU agencies and the private sector, to combat illicit tobacco trade.

EUBAM organized eight training events in September-October for the Moldovan and Ukrainian partners from Border and Customs agencies to improve vessel search techniques and better combat firearms, cigarettes, and drug trafficking. Altogether 136 officers took part.

Maritime and river transport is the most effective and economical way of transporting large cargo from one place to another. Because of their size, ships are also a great hiding place for contraband. Giurgulesti International Port has 5-6 vessels coming in from around the world every week. Two EUBAM experts from Poland and Finland shared their knowledge to better prepare for the vessel search: the most efficient search techniques and practical risk analysis because improving those techniques are essential for the safety and security of the Republic of Moldova. But as the experts emphasized, you must use a lot of imagination to discover the hiding places because “smugglers have a lot of time to think about them at sea”.

The fight against drug trafficking is continuous all-around Europe, and The Republic of Moldova is no exception. Criminals are using the country to transit to the EU, but unfortunately, domestic demand for drugs is growing. To better combat drug trafficking, EUBAM organized four training events in September to introduce the latest practices from the experts of Germany and Poland. Altogether around half a hundred officers of Moldovan Border Police in Ungheni, Chisinau, Stefan Voda and Edinet learned about the recent case studies, different drugs and their effects, risk profiling, and most common smuggling routes.

Firearms trafficking fuels other types of serious crimes, and criminals use creative ways to hide them when crossing the border. EUBAM dedicated last week at the Ungheni Border Security Center of Excellence to combating weapons, ammunition and explosives smuggling training for future trainers. Participants from Moldovan Border Police and Ukrainian Border Guards learned about the trends in trafficking and how to remain safe while handling them, the importance of international information exchange etc.
Now colleagues from the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine are ready to take the knowledge to their organizations and train others. Trainers from the Polish Border Guard and the Moldovan General Police Inspectorate ensured that the future trainers were armed with all necessary skills to cascade the learned knowledge to their colleagues.

Also 50 Moldovan Customs officials participated in 4 theoretical-practical training activities to combat cigarette smuggling. The aim of the training was to improve the skills in selecting vehicles for controls, detecting potential smugglers, and learning about the construction of vehicles. EUBAM organised the training in customs posts in Palanca, Criva, and Cahul, as well as on the premises of the Training Center of the Customs Service.

On 29th September 2022, the European Union Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine (EUBAM) and the Customs Service of the Republic of Moldova, organized the “International Trade Facilitation Forum – Response to the Blockade of Transport Corridors from Ukraine”. The event took place in a hybrid format in Chisinau with the participation of high-level representatives from the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, the European Commission, the EU Delegation to Moldova,  EU High Level Advisors’ Mission to Moldova, the EU Advisory Mission to Ukraine, Customs Eastern and South-Eastern Land Border Expert Team, and the Customs Authorities of neighbouring EU Member States.

The one-day Forum in Chisinau was opened by Jānis Mažeiks, EU Ambassador to the Republic of Moldova, who emphasized the devastating global impact that Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified military aggression against Ukraine is having: “Russia is deliberately destroying Ukraine’s agricultural and transport infrastructure and equipment, causing fuel shortages, and creating worldwide food supply chain problems. Russia has in fact endangered food security for millions of people across the world. To address these unprecedented challenges, the EU, together with its EU member states, Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova set up the EU Solidarity lanes. These joint achievements are a testimony of our solidarity. They also reflect our unicity, our determination to act jointly in support of Ukraine, of its people, but also for the people around the world in needs of these agricultural products”.

The Deputy Head of State Customs Service of Ukraine, Vladyslav Suvorov, thanked all present for the round of applause for all the Ukrainians who, both on the economic and actual frontlines, stand up to the Russian war of aggression. Turning to the forum’s participants, Mr. Suvorov stated, “The war changed the lives of Ukrainian citizens and institutions, and its consequences went way beyond the geographical borders of Ukraine. Because of the Ukrainian sea ports’ blockade, International Automobile Border Crossing Points came under pressure they had never experienced before. However, thanks to the good and close cooperation we established together with Polish, Romanian, Slovak, Hungarian, and Moldovan Customs, and border authorities, we were able to pass this test. Due to this very cooperation, we were able to handle the migration crisis at the very beginning of the war, at the same time enabling timely delivery of much-needed humanitarian aid into Ukraine. In this regard, I would like to thank the European Commission for the establishment of the Solidarity Lanes initiative, and on the part of the State Customs Service of Ukraine, we put our every effort to enable swift clearance and admission of cargo traffic.”

The Director of the Customs Service of the Republic of Moldova, Igor Talmazan, emphasized the importance of cooperation: „Today’s event once again demonstrates the fruitful cooperation with customs administrations and other authorities from neighbouring states to identify the optimal solutions for facilitating trade, streamlining cross-border traffic, as well as supporting the strategic partnership between the Republic of Moldova and the European Union.” Mr Talmazan stressed that only by unifying our efforts, being anchored in implementing the above-mentioned measures and actions, we would succeed in further unblocking the transport corridors in Ukraine.

Ukraine’s road and railway transport corridors remain vital, even though the UN-backed agreements partially reopened Odesa, Chornomorsk and Pivdennyi seaports for agricultural export, noted the Head of EUBAM, Slawomir Pichor. “EUBAM keeps working together with our partner services for the simplification of customs and border formalities and supporting Solidarity Lanes stronger than ever. The Mission continues to play the role of a catalyst and bring together services to identify bottlenecks and subsequently find solutions to streamline the cargo clearance. We will also continue our support to Moldovan and Ukrainian partners, especially through training, advice and advocacy for the joint control, as an effective way to speed up cargo movement across borders.”, Head of EUBAM concluded.

In May, against the backdrop of the unjustified Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, EUBAM joined the European Commission’s Solidarity Lanes initiative that aims at establishing and supporting alternative logistics routes between the EU and Ukraine. On the one hand, these routes guarantee the uninterrupted export of Ukrainian agricultural goods through the EU ports to the world market; on the other, they enable the unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid, food, fuel, etc., to all people who urgently need it in Ukraine.

On the Southern flank of the Solidarity lanes, the Republic of Moldova is now a transport hub between grain-rich Ukrainian South and the Romanian ports. To make the passage of Ukrainian cargo through the Republic of Moldova swifter and easier, EUBAM carried out the “Solidarity Lanes” exercise to identify challenges and enhance management of the increased border traffic.

In that connection, on 6 September, EUBAM team participated in the meeting between the Heads of Ukrainian Chernivtsi Customs and Moldovan Customs House “Nord”. In the same vein, on 7 September, at Ukrainian Mohyliv-Podilskyi Border Crossing Point (BCP), EUBAM experts facilitated the meeting between the heads of Vinnytsia Customs House and Moldovan Customs House “Nord”. During those meetings, the Mission’s experts shared EUBAM’s insights and proposed practical solutions to optimise the logistics and tackle overloading at the border. For instance, the Mission’s experts highlighted that passport control formalities should be prioritized for lorry drivers and suggested to better manage traffic before the BCP.  EUBAM team also supported an initiative to mandate two additional BCPs for clearance of agricultural goods in the Northern sector of the Moldova-Ukraine border.

Commenting on EUBAM’s role in Solidarity Lanes and the Mission’s perspective on it, the Head of EUBAM, Slawomir Pichor noted, “Although the UN-backed agreements partially reopened three seaports at the shores of the Odesa region for agricultural export, Ukraine’s major land and railway transport corridors remain of vital significance. Especially now, when the new crops are to be harvested and the winter is coming together with increased need in humanitarian assistance, we need to support Solidarity Lanes stronger than ever.”

A photo overview of the most significant achievements of EUBAM and its Partner Services in June – August 2022.

On 24-25 August EUBAM attended the 6th Competition of Canine Teams under the slogan “Together In The Fight Against Cigarettes And Tobacco Smuggling” organized by the Customs Service of the Republic of Moldova. 14 canine teams of customs authorities from the Republic of Moldova Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, the Czech Republic, Germany and Georgia participated in the different trials, showing their agility and good sense of smell.

The ongoing EUBAM exercise is reviewing the clearance of cargo trucks exporting Ukrainian agricultural goods at the border crossing points along the Moldova-Ukrainian border for a smoother cargo flow.

Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and its blockade of Ukrainian ports disrupted the supply chains and trade routes. In July, agreements were reached for ensuring safe shipping grain, food products and fertilisers from the Ukrainian seaports. To also secure alternative routes for transport, earlier in May the European Commission set out an action plan to establish ‘Solidarity Lanes’ to transport agricultural goods through road and rail along the Moldova-Ukrainian border.

“By evaluating the capacity of the busiest points, we can, together with our partners, identify challenges and better manage the increased border traffic both in the short and long term. It is essential to optimise the logistic chains and avoid, as much as possible, overloading the border crossings,” explains Slawomir Pichor, the Head of the European Union Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine.

During the 10-day exercise, EUBAM experts, in cooperation with the Customs Service of the Republic of Moldova, the State Customs Service of Ukraine, the Moldovan National Agency for Food Safety, as well as other agencies, monitor both entry and exit from Ukraine/Moldova, the clearance of trucks with Ukraine’s agricultural goods transiting through Moldovan customs territory.

“We advise on actions to be taken and share the experiences of the EU member states’ solutions to similar situations,” Pichor stresses. The results of the exercise will be available for the respective agencies in September.

Established in 2005, EUBAM promotes border control, customs and trade norms and practices that meet European Union standards and serves the needs of its two partner countries, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine.