Kyiv, 28 May 2025 — Strengthening coordination between government agencies and international partners is essential for securing Ukraine’s success in integrated border management (IBM), experts concluded at the debate held this week in Kyiv.
The event, organised under the EU-funded EU4IBM-Resilience project and implemented by the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), brought together government officials, civil society representatives, and international stakeholders to assess the challenges and opportunities ahead of Ukraine’s forthcoming IBM Strategy.
The current strategy expires this year, prompting a reassessment of how institutions collaborate to manage the country’s borders effectively and in line with European standards. While recent analysis of the state of play in IBM provided a solid foundation for a new strategy, participants noted a critical lack of in-depth review regarding coordination, communication, and interagency cooperation — areas deemed vital for implementation.
“The existing model requires re-evaluation to identify strengths and weaknesses. Only then can we put forward practical recommendations for improving interagency coordination in the next strategic cycle,” said Vyacheslav Toporov, head of the EU4IBM-Resilience project.
Iryna Sushko, a project expert who presented an analytical review of coordination mechanisms in IBM, echoed the call for greater clarity. “Successful implementation isn’t just about setting goals on paper. It requires a practical understanding of how coordination platforms function day to day,” she said. Sushko emphasized that the current IBM Strategy includes goals directly related to coordination activities and international cooperation. However, in practice, some problems persist, including unclear lines of responsibility of each IBM actor, a lack of measurable indicators, limited involvement from certain institutions, and weak collaboration with local authorities.
The discussion identified Ukraine’s Interagency Working Group, the IBM Coordination Centre, and the Parliamentary Committee on European Integration as key platforms enabling institutional cooperation across ministries, regions, and with EU partners.
In this context, Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, Chairwomen of the Parliamentary Committee on European Integration, underscored the need for institutional continuity: “Parliamentary oversight of IBM must not be personality-driven. We need systemic mechanisms that ensure engagement from local government, parliament, and civil society.” She also underlined the role of international partners in implementing strategic objectives “to jointly move things forward… [as] it’s a critical added value.”
Dmytro Lazebnyi, Head of the IBM Coordination Center, supported the emphasis on international cooperation and highlighted the Centre’s growing engagement both domestically and internationally. Alongside its regular weekly situational briefings sent to key government agencies, the Centre also actively works to establish regular exchange of analytical information with foreign partners. Ukrainian officials have been actively learning from their EU counterparts through training and study visits to similar institutions across Europe.
Ihor Smirnov, Deputy Director of Digitalisation at the State Customs Service, pointed to information systems integration as a top priority: “Automated data exchange is vital. It has already proved its value both for improving cooperation and for simplifying border crossing procedures.”
Yet, internal coordination and interaction remain the decisive factor, said Volodymyr Khyrnyi, Deputy Head of Analytics at Ukraine’s State Border Guard Service. He described existing efforts to develop regional analytical groups but stressed the pressing need for greater human and technical resources to achieve the ambitious goals. He also called for stronger accountability and enforcement mechanisms: “We must increase the effectiveness and responsibility of all involved actors — and here, parliamentary oversight plays a pivotal role.”
Referring to the recent involvement of project experts in developing the goals and objectives of the new Strategy, Vyacheslav Toporov emphasized the value and feasibility of broader involvement of international expertise as an important additional resource for preparing analytical materials, drafting recommendations, and assessing effectiveness—including interagency cooperation within the new IBM Strategy.
Participants unanimously agreed on three core priorities: ensuring robust coordination among all stakeholders, boosting analytical and institutional capacity, and integrating recommendations from international partners into the final strategy.
The draft of the new IBM Strategy is expected to be submitted to the Ukrainian government for approval in June, with an accompanying Action Plan due by the end of 2025.
