On April 15-16, representatives of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine joined a conference on strengthening interdepartmental cooperation between national subjects of integrated border management (IBM) in Ukraine.

On April 15-16, representatives of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine joined a conference on strengthening interdepartmental cooperation between national subjects of integrated border management (IBM) in Ukraine.

The event is organized by the EU-funded project “EU Support in Strengthening Integrated Border Management in Ukraine (EU4IBM)”.

The two-day conference was also attended by representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Finance, the Security Service of Ukraine, the National Police and the State Customs Service of Ukraine.

“The European Union pays great attention to cooperation and coordination of border services, information exchange and joint risk analysis both between EU member states and with third countries, especially our immediate neighbors. The implementation of best practices in this area in Ukraine will significantly strengthen the national capacity for border management,” said Ksavie Kamiu, Head of the First Division of External Assistance Programs “Good Governance and the Rule of Law” of the EU Delegation to Ukraine.

The forum allowed representatives of national subjects of IBM actors to review the current situation in Ukraine and obtain up-to-date information on existing EU practices with an emphasis on the effective operation of national focal points. Participants learned about the benefits of approaches, institutional arrangements, technical solutions and best practices in the field of interagency cooperation at the EU and individual countries. Particular attention was paid to the situation in the field of coordination and exchange of information, risk analysis, preparation and use of joint products and discussion of the opportunities they provide.

 “EU4IBM project experts presented conceptual developments to establish a coordination centre and risk analysis system that can significantly improve situational awareness, emergency response capacity and joint action planning in Ukraine. The examples of Finland, the Czech Republic and other countries show that working together “under the same roof”, border, customs and police services have a unique opportunity to pool their forces and resources and respond better to different challenges, including cross-border crime.” commented Arunas Adomenas, EU4IBM Project Manager.

In addition to Ukrainian agencies, the conference was attended by representatives of national coordination centers of EU member states, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex), the EU Advisory Mission to Ukraine (EUAM), the EU Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine (EUBAM), and others international and regional projects that provide support in the field of IBM. Together, the participants were able not only to review existing and potential mechanisms for coordination and joint work with information in Ukraine and EU member states, but also to talk about the difficulties encountered in establishing interagency cooperation, share successful experiences in overcoming challenges and problems and express their views on proposed solutions.

In the future, the conference should provide the necessary elements for practical decisions aimed at strengthening the existing system of interagency cooperation, coordination, information exchange and risk analysis in Ukraine.

“Implementation of integrated border management, in particular in the fight against cross-border crime, requires well-established cooperation in the exchange of information and risk analysis. Being confident that on the basis of the provided recommendations it will be possible to form a viable and effective model of interagency cooperation between IBM entities in Ukraine. We are interested in a comprehensive approach to the implementation of good practice to ensure quality results at both strategic and tactical levels, as well as the sustainability of the model,”- summed up the discussion Director of the Department of Organization, Planning and Control Andrii Vikhtiuk.