Odesa, 26 June 2018 – Today, the 30th Advisory Board Meeting of the European Union Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine took place in Odesa in the presence of Deputy Director-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations at the European Commission, Mr Maciej POPOWSKI, European Union Ambassador to the Republic of Moldova, H.E. Peter Michalko, European Union Ambassador to Ukraine, H.E. Hugues Mingarelli, high representatives from Moldovan and Ukrainian Ministries of Foreign Affairs and border agencies, IOM, OSCE and UNDP.
The meeting was hosted by Odesa Regional Council and chaired by European Union Ambassador to the Republic of Moldova, H.E. Peter Michalko.
Recent achievements in the settlement of Transnistria issue, implementing integrated border management and tackling cross-border crime in the region were the main topic on the meeting’s agenda. The Board congratulated the partner services on the enactments of the new Agreement on joint control of persons, vehicles, goods and items at the border crossing points on the Moldova-Ukraine state and encouraged them on taking full advantage of EUBAM support in its implementation.
Deputy Director-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations at the European Commission Maciej POPOWSKI participated at the 30th instalment of the Advisory Board Meeting and said that: “I salute the great work EUBAM has done since its inception in 2005 and its extensive contribution to regional stability and security. Over a span of nearly thirteen years now, it has assisted and helped a generation of Moldovan and Ukrainian officials – both in the fields of border policing and customs – by building capacity and delivering expert advice. Indeed the implementation of the rule of law is central to create a predictable environment. This predictability matters to maintain trust in those who govern, attracting investments and strengthening international cooperation. The EU considers the rule of law as one of its central values and pillars. And translating EU standards into practice has concrete and real benefits as we saw in today’s meeting.”
European Union Ambassador to the Republic of Moldova, H.E. Peter Michalko stated: “Together with all the partner services involved, I am delighted to see that EUBAM is making further progress in all areas of its mandate including on delivering technical support to the Transnistrian settlement process. Its expertise is valuable for instance in implementing a number of the Protocol Decisions that were previously signed. I also want to salute the improvements achieved through EUBAM’s assistance, for instance with regard to the passenger train between Chisinau and Odessa running through Tiraspol. The EU is intent on further supporting private and business travellers to smoothly and safely travel between the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine”.
European Union Ambassador to Ukraine, H.E. Hugues Mingarelli urged all parties for soonest implementation of joint border management on the border crossing points at Kuchurhan-Pervomaisk and Giurgiulesti-Reni where the European Union is supporting infrastructure improvement in a project amounting to EUR 5 million.
Head of OSCE and International Security Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of the Republic of Moldova, Mr Vasile Mircos, noted that with the launch of EUBAM 12, the Ministry marked a shift to a more results-oriented Mission keeping in mind the needs of the Moldovan and Ukrainian partners. He said: “The primary focus of this meeting is to review the results achieved in the last six months and to assess what remained to be done. EUBAM remains to be an absolutely indispensable tool for border management and risk analysis that perfectly fits the interests of the population of both countries.” He added that the Ministry acknowledges and supports the work of EUBAM focused on technical confidence-building measures between Chisinau and Tiraspol, combating cross-border crime and full implementation of IBM.
Mr. Serhii Saienko, Acting Director of the European Union and the NATO Directorate of Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized: “We highly appreciate the EUBAM efforts in supporting authorities of Ukraine and Moldova in effective border management. We welcome the start of the EU funded project on the modernization of infrastructure of Kuchurhan-Pervomaisc and Reni-Giurgiulesti jointly operated border crossing points, establishment of Palanca Contact Point and the Automated Information Exchange between the border agencies of two countries. It is important achievement made by the EUBAM in close cooperation with Ukraine and Moldova.” Mr Saienko also highlighted EUBAM’s assistance in the Ukrainian and Moldavian enforcement efforts, in particular the recent Joint Border Control Operation “JANUS” aimed at counteracting cigarettes smuggling.
Head of EUBAM Mr Slawomir Pichor noted that: “The first six months of the Mission’s new mandate were marked by significant steps forward. The entering into force of the new agreement on joint control was the most important development that will constitute the foundation of our future work on integrated border management. Equally, the infrastructural projects launched in the region together with the initiation of the exchange of information between the border agencies in Ukraine are additionally achievements EUBAM and its partners will continue to build upon. With a particular focus on bringing a qualitative change in border management both for the people and for the trade, we are looking forward to witnessing future developments together with our partners services.”
