Moldova hosts 25th EUBAM meeting

Chisinau, 5 November /MOLDPRES/- The Moldovan Foreign and European Integration Ministry on 4 November hosted the 25th meeting of the Coordinating Council of the European Union Border Assistance Mission (EUBAM) for Moldova and Ukraine. The meeting was chaired by the head of the EU Delegation to Ukraine, Jan Tombinski, the Foreign and European Integration Ministry’s information and media communication service has reported.

Attending the meeting were the head of the EUBAM Mission, Andrew Tesoriere, Deputy Foreign and European Integration Minister Daniela Cujba, deputy-head of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry’s EU Department, Volodymyr Bachynsky, head of the EU Delegation to Moldova, Pirkka Tapiola, head of the Moldovan Border Police Department, Dorin Purice, head of Ukrainian State Border Service, Viktor Nazarenko, representatives of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Moldova, as well as delegates of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in Moldova and Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

According to Cujba, EUBAM cooperation helped Moldova accomplish more important achievements, and namely, to combat cigarette smuggling, reduce the amount of customs clearance documents, fight smuggling and illegal migration.

“We are thankful for the cooperation within the Eastern Partnership’s initiative on the Integrated Border Management (IBM) Programme, as it helped us give an official start to the construction of the Palanca joint border-crossing point, scheduled to become functional in 2017-2018,” Cujba noted.  

The Moldovan official reiterated Moldova’s interest in extending EUBAM’s mandate for another two years (starting with December 2015) and in signing of the Addendum to the Memorandum of Understanding between the Moldovan government, European Commission and Ukrainian government, on the EUBAM mission in Moldova and Ukraine (signed in Palanca, on 7 October 2005).

Participants in the meeting had also approved the EUBAM 2016-2017 action plan, which provides for trade development and implementation of the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (DCFTA), border integrated management and matters related to the visa regime post-liberalisation stage.

At the end of the meeting, the officials signed an agreement providing for an exchange of information on individuals and vehicles crossing the Moldovan-Ukrainian state border, as well as a protocol on the organisation of a joint control mission, with the participation of Moldovan and Ukrainian border agencies, at the Pervomaisk-Cuciurgan international border-crossing point. The documents signed during the meeting aim to ensure the safety of the joint border, national security, public order, economic welfare of both states, and also to prevent and fight trans-border organised criminality, international terrorism and its financing.

(Editor M. Jantovan)