From 28 to 29 October 2020, European Union experts jointly with the State Border Guard Service (SBGS) and the State Customs Service (SCS) of Ukraine completed the first field assessment mission to the border crossing point (BCP) Yahodyn-Dorohusk at the Ukrainian-Polish border. This assessment is a step towards advancement of both border and customs processes and procedures at the BCP level and is a part of a wider action of the EU-funded project “EU Support to Strengthening Integrated Border Management in Ukraine (EU4IBM)”.
“We decided to arrange the assessment mission to the land border crossing point in order to be able to provide more targeted recommendations on streamlining control procedures at the border crossing points through enhanced interagency coordination and cooperation which should make border checks more efficient and contribute to a more effective fight against illegal cross-border activities and crime”, said Mr Arunas Adomenas, EU4IBM Team Leader.
During the field visit to the BCP, the assessment team consisting of EU4IBM international experts, SBGS and SCS national experts carried out an in-depth analysis of border and customs control procedures starting from the entry to the customs territory of Ukraine until the exit from the BCP. The assessment covered the formalities for processing of passengers and cargo in BCPs for both road and railway transport modes. The main idea behind the action is to identify the gaps and develop recommendations allowing to reduce time and resources for the processes at BCPs while ensuring fast and safe passage of goods and persons through the border. The assessment team also worked on the baseline study of the current situation at the border crossing points to develop proposals for model BCP solutions, as well as collected information on the current availability, status and needs in additional equipment at BCPs.
Similar field assessment missions are also planned for air and maritime BCPs and will be conducted by the project expert team in the coming weeks. These missions will result in comprehensive recommendations on optimisation of border and customs checks at BCPs, development of model BCP solutions and identification of needs in equipment and infrastructure to be presented to SBGS and SCS in the coming months.
“The results of assessment activities at border crossing points shall contribute to the implementation of the overall national IBM policy in Ukraine aiming to reach the objective of open, but well controlled and secure borders”, said Mr Xavier Camus, Head of Section “Good Governance and Democratisation” at the Delegation of the European Union to Ukraine.
The results will also serve as a basis for a more effective national IBM policy, rationalised border controls and more accurate analysis of risks, better interagency and cross-border coordination and exchange of information with neighbouring countries. As a result, Ukrainian citizens will benefit from higher mobility while national economic operators will get the advantage of closer economic ties with the globalised world. All this combined with a higher level of border security and prevention of cross-border crime.
