EU BORDER ASSISTANCE MISSION TO MOLDOVA AND UKRAINE LAUNCHES LIAISON OFFICE IN MOLDOVA
Chisinau, 1 April 2015
EUBAM’s Liaison Office in Moldova was launched today at an event attended by Victor Osipov, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova, Ambassador Pirkka Tapiola, Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Moldova and Francesco Bastagli, Head of the EU Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine.
During his opening speech, Ambassador Tapiola, Head of the EU Delegation, said: ” A functional and active Liaison Office in Chisinau will allow EUBAM to better monitor and assist on border and customs control measures and procedures implemented by the Republic of Moldova in line with the Association Agreement, the Deep and Comprehensive Trade Agreement and Visa Liberalisation Action Plan provisions, and especially give better inputs to supporting the Transnistrian settlement process.”
Deputy Prime Minister, Victor Osipov noted that the all stakeholders interested in border control issues would benefit from the opening of the EUBAM Liaison Office in Moldova. “On behalf of the Moldovan Government I would like to say that we are working to create the best conditions for the people on both banks of the River Dniester and we will continue to cooperate with our international partners.”
As part of its Association Agreement and DCFTA commitments, Moldova is working to harmonise rules, norms and standards in a number of border control and trade-related areas with those of the EU. EUBAM, which is fully funded by the EU, is working with its Moldovan partner services, in particular the Customs Service to develop administrative capacity and to align key legislation such as the Customs Code, Rules of Origin, and Intellectual Property Rights protection. The Mission’s unique on-the-ground presence through its six field offices allows it to observe how rules decided at the central level are implemented at the working level.
The Head of EUBAM, Francesco Bastagli said “Moldova is working intensively to fulfil its obligations under the agreements it has signed with the EU. International donors are likewise working hard to step up assistance to Moldova. This requires greater efforts amongst all parties to co-ordinate our activities to ensure effective cooperation and avoid duplication. A greater liaison presence will allow the Mission to respond better to changes in the priorities of our Moldovan partners and to coordinate more closely with other donors. The Liaison Office will be housed in dedicated premises and co-located with the Mission’s Chisinau Field Office. The Head of the Liaison Office is Andrew Filmer who comes from a career in the British customs service.
