EUBAM Consultative Council holds meeting in Odessa

Chisinau, 12 May /MOLDPRES/- The 26th meeting of the Consultative Council of the EU Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine (EUBAM) took place in Odessa, Ukraine, on 11 May, the Foreign and European Integration Ministry’s communication and media relations service has reported.

The event was chaired by Heads of EU Delegations to Moldova and Ukraine, Pirkka Tapiola and respectively, Jan Tombinski, with the participation of EUBAM Mission head Ambassador Andrew Tesoriere. The Moldovan delegation was led by Deputy Foreign and European Integration Minister Daniela Morari and was made up of representatives of Border Police Department, Customs Service, Bureau for Reintegration and National Agency for Food Safety. The Ukrainian delegation was headed by Director-General of the Directorate General for the EU of the Foreign Ministry of Ukraine, Vsevolod Chentsov. Also, attending the event were representatives of EUBAM international partner organizations (OSCE, IOM, UNDP).

The participants in the event unveiled an activity report of EUBAM for December 2015-April 2016, as well as the results recorded in the border integrated management and customs cooperation. Also, they reviewed the latest developments concerning the enforcing of the Agreement on exchange of information about people and vehicles crossing the Moldovan-Ukrainian state border and Protocol on organizing joint control at the international border checkpoint Pervomaisk-Kuchurgan, signed at the previous meeting of the EUBAM Consultative Council.

Referring to each item on the agenda, all actors involved in the talks reconfirmed that EUBAM remained the main partner in its double role, offering at the same time support for ensuring security and stability in the region, as well as contributed to strengthening capacities nationally both in Moldova and Ukraine. The participants in the meeting pointed out that the role represented a very important factor for promoting the reforms and implementing commitments seen in the Association Agreement, including of the provisions on the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area.

On the sidelines of the event, a string of technical meetings at the level of experts took place, focused on elaborating and enforcing pilot projects within the priority initiative of the Eastern Partnership on integrated border management, issuing export certificates, EUBAM’s assistance in carrying out veterinary, sanitary and phytosanitary control, as well as the latest developments in performing common exercise of assessment on border control and customs control at the Moldovan-Ukrainian border.

The sides agreed that the next meeting of the EUBAM Consultative Council would be organized in Chisinau in next autumn.

(Editor A. Raileanu)