Representatives of the State Customs Service of Ukraine and the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine completed a four-day specialized training course at the Expert Customs Centre for an in-depth inspection of vehicles, Finland. The activity was organized on the initiative of the Finnish Customs Service and with the assistance of the EU-funded Project “EU Support in Strengthening Integrated Border Management in Ukraine – Resilience (EU4IBM-Resilience)”.
The aim of the training was to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of border control procedures at road crossing points between Ukraine and EU member states.
«In a globalized world, there is only one way to combat illicit trafficking of items at the borders – through effective operational and control procedures. EU fully supports the efforts of Ukrainian border agencies in improving their standards of work», commented Barbara Rotovnik, Sector Manager for Border Management, EU Delegation to Ukraine.
10 participants of the training have already got a hands-on experience and expertise in conducting an in-depth inspection of vehicles. The training program addressed the specifics of automobiles and minibuses inspection, and consisted of theoretical and practical parts. During the first one, the participants reviewed and discussed advanced methods of vehicle inspection, security issues, and ways to hide items using the constructional features of the vehicle.
The practical part of the course was designed to provide maximum practice of inspection techniques under real conditions. During the training, participants mastered an effective and safe use of in-depth inspection methods, considering various peculiarities, constructional features, and capacities of vehicles.
“Coordinated operation of border management agencies is a crucial element in guaranteeing the security of individuals both within the state and across borders. Hence, our objective is to assist the State Customs Service and the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine in improving their control procedures and, consequently, combatting illicit movement of goods and items at the border between Ukraine and EU”, noted Arunas Adomenas, EU4IBM-Resilience Team Leader.
Background information: The project “EU Support to Strengthening Integrated Border Management in Ukraine – Resilience (EU4IBM-Resilience)” is funded by the European Union, and implemented by the International Centre for Migration Policy Development. The project aims at building the resilience of the Ukrainian border management agencies during wartime, as well as at supporting further reforms to approximate the border management system of Ukraine to the EU standards in line with the Integrated Border Management Strategy of Ukraine. The project runs from December 2022 until May 2024.
