On 5 March, demonstrating strong support for the Ukrainian Customs Authority, experts from the Customs Eastern and South-Eastern Land Border Expert Team (CELBET) and the European Union Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine (EUBAM) successfully organized a special webinar on Synchronised Checks for Ukrainian customs officers.

The webinar, attended by 87 customs officers from Kyiv, Odesa, Vinnitsa, and Chernivtsi, as well as representatives from the Department for Specialized Training and Canine Services, provided in-depth insights into best practices developed, tested, and implemented by the CELBET Cooperation team in Estonia and Lithuania.

Experts from the Estonian Tax and Customs Board, Nikolai Voronin and Ants Kutti, shared their expertise on border coordination techniques and efficiency improvements, which contribute to smoother border traffic flow. Their knowledge highlighted the importance of effective cooperation and coordination between customs administrations, border guards, and neighboring country services at EU external border crossing points (BCPs).

Thanks to EUBAM’s assistance, proactive engagement, and strong partnership with CELBET, Ukrainian customs officers gained access to a highly practical and beneficial tool—Synchronised Checks. This approach, which emphasizes an “acting as one” methodology, enhances border security, streamlines inspections, and improves coordination between border authorities.

The Synchronised Checks approach ensures security at the border by fostering close cooperation between two border authorities, improving coordination of border inspections, and guaranteeing only one control stop for efficiency. It also significantly enhances the efficiency of border operations by shortening the time of data exchange, providing a better overview of the current border status, and ensuring a smoother passenger and trade flow.

Real-life examples from EU external border operations allowed participants to grasp the core principles of Synchronised Checks and gain valuable feedback from border crossing points. The successful delivery of this webinar marks another step forward in reinforcing Ukraine’s customs capacity and fostering international cooperation at its border.