Odessa, 13 November, 2014: Awarding ceremony of the competition for media ‘Modern border and a new role of border guard and customs agencies’ took place today at EUBAM HQ. The media reports received for the competition reflected events the Moldovan and Ukrainian border agencies faced this year: Ukrainian State Border Guard Service trained officers to meet new challenges in the East of Ukraine, Moldovan Border Police introduced a new Code of Conduct, and Ukrainian and Moldovan customs authorities implemented new IT assisted customs clearance and Moldovans enjoy visa-free travel to EU countries.

The jury panel which included representatives of EUBAM and the partner services of the Mission selected the best reports. The Head of EUBAM, Mr Francesco Bastagli awarded the winners with diplomas and special prizes.

The competition was organized jointly by EUBAM and partners, the Customs Service and the Border Police of Moldova, the State Border Guard Service and the State Fiscal Service of Ukraine, and was held on 4 July – 3 October 2014. It was open for representatives of print, TV, radio, and on-line media from Moldova and Ukraine. The goal of the competition was to raise awareness of Moldovan and Ukrainian public on reforms that the border and customs agencies are undertaking, security situation at the border and how the EU supports border management in Moldova and Ukraine.