Issue 27, February 2009
Cutting edge scanning equipment
Under the Framework Agreement between the Republic of Moldova and the EU Commission on external assistance, the Customs Service received a mobile scanner designed to ensure the monitoring of trucks crossing the state border through the customs post Kryva-Mamalyga of the Brychansk Customs House.
Viorel Monic, General Director of the CSRM, was at the hand-over ceremony and stressed that there is no way to meet the Service objectives without equipping customs agencies with new technology and special equipment.
Any modern equipment which helps a customs officer to perform checks of travelers and vehicles significantly facilitates the job for him/her and simplifies border crossing procedures. “It ensures security by enabling accurate identification of goods in the vehicle under examination”, emphasized Vadim Suprunenko, Head of the Kryva-Mamalyga Customs Post, who had received the keys to the vehicle containing the scanning equipment, presented to him by Jan Williams, representative of the scanner manufacturer, the British company “Rapiscan”.
EC representatives present at the event said that the Framework Agreement between the Republic of Moldova and the EU Commission on external assistance is still an ongoing project and the acquired mobile scanner, valued at over 1.6 million Euros, is just a part of the activities planned for the future.
The Customs Service and Association of Authorised Vehicle Importers signs Memorandum of Understanding
The Customs Service and Association of Authorised Vehicle Importers signed the Memorandum of Understanding. It is meant to consolidate joint efforts to prevent smuggling and illegal trafficking of goods, as well as to ensure protection of the intellectual property rights of the Association members.
The key objective of the Memorandum is to create a sustainable basis for cooperation between the Customs Service and Association, particularly through exchange of analytical information and operational data to counter customs fraud and illegal trafficking of vehicles; plus professional training for personnel in detection techniques for counterfeit goods and technical examination of seized goods.
In the course of the signing ceremony Viorel Melnik, General Director of the Customs Service, noted that with this Memorandum the Customs Service and Association of Authorised Importers agreed to carry out joint activities with an aim to creating loyal competition within the internal market of the Republic of Moldova and protecting the intellectual property rights of vehicle importers. Thus, the Customs Service will have more opportunities to prevent and counter smuggling and other criminal activities.
Note: The Memorandum of understanding is a voluntary agreement between the Customs Service and economic operators, institutions and associations that deal with international transportation; it is signed to ensure consolidation of efforts in combatting customs fraud and smuggling, as well as to prevent counterfeit goods turnover. In order to implement the practice of Memoranda, the Customs Service has approved a special programme with its order #345 of 26.09.2009, which establishes a mechanism for concluding Memoranda, as well as for their monitoring and performance evaluation.
The Customs Service has thus far signed 4 Memoranda with companies dealing in the field of tobacco products and vehicles. The Customs Service plans to continue implementing this mechanism of cooperation with businesses, and is open for memorandum negotiations with other associations and concerned companies.
Future border guards receive training according to European standards
The students of the National Border Guard College in Ungeni are gaining practical skills through the internship with the Border Guard Service of Moldova.
This training is conducted both at BCPs and BG stations. In contrast with the previous years when the interns were able to hold a position of junior members of a detail only, starting from this year they have an opportunity to serve as BG leaders as well.
This group of students is the first group to graduate from the National Border Guard College. The practical training is based on the European standards.
The purpose of the training is to make general assessment of the proficiency level of the students as well as to gain practical skills, namely to become familiar with special technical equipment for document verification, to develop communication skills when dealing with the border users and to enhance skills in state border surveillance and control. All this measures will help to raise significantly a performance levels at the border as well as to make the process of crossing the border more convenient.
This training provides the future border guards with the opportunity to gain experience as well as to share information and study particular cases and new methods of control used in everyday work.
EUBAM and security services of Moldova and Ukraine to strengthen border cooperation
At the end of January the second trilateral meeting of EUBAM and security services of Moldova and Ukraine convened in Odesa with participation of the Head of the European Union Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine Ferenc Banfi, the Director of the Information and Security Service of the Republic of Moldova Artur Reshetnikov and the acting Head of the Security Service of Ukraine Valentyn Nalyvaichenko. The head of the State Customs Service of Ukraine Valeriy Khoroshkhovskyy was present of the meeting as well.
The parties reviewed the results of joint efforts since 14 December 2006 when the joint declaration of cooperation has been signed. Participants of the meeting admitted that trilateral cooperation between the services and EUBAM has improved. Especially, the parties emphasized information exchange and coordination of activities. In addition, representatives of the security services and EUBAM praised participation in two joint border control operations, which were carried out in 2007 and 2008.
The parties highlighted the most recent successful cooperation on preventing large scale smuggling of cigarettes from Ukraine to the European Union market. A joint operation was carried out in October 2008 involving law enforcement agencies from several EU member states. The long investigation conducted by law enforcements of Germany together with Security Services of Ukraine and Moldova has preceded the operation. The result of the operation was a seizure of four maritime containers filled with illegally exported cigarettes and the beginning of criminal investigation by in Ukraine and Moldova. The operation of the Moldovan, Ukrainian and EU law enforcement agencies helped to prevent almost EUR 5 million tax loss of the EU member state concerned.
As a result of the meeting, the parties agreed to further strengthen mutual actions to counteract cross-border crime. In order to reduce security threats at the Moldovan-Ukrainian border, the parties will establish two working groups on fighting trafficking in human beings and on fighting smuggling of drugs, weapons, and consumer goods.
New Training Centre for Ukrainian Border Guards to be opened in Kotovsk
The State Border Guard Service of Ukraine supported by EUBAM is planning to open a new Regional Training Centre in Kotovsk, Odesa Oblast. The Centre will be fully equipped according to the European standards for training in border management.
Today the Ukrainian Border Guard Service conducts most of the training at the National Training Centre in Orshanets, Cherkasy Oblast. The centre is mostly engaged in training newcomers who take 6 month long course for non-commissioned officers. The new Training Centre in Kotovsk will be responsible for different training objectives, namely, it will provide short term (2 to 5 days) professional development events for junior, middle and high level officers. As planned, the Border Guard officers would have an opportunity to enhance their practical skills in particular narrow focused areas of border management, such as modern procedures in border patrolling, passport control, human resources management in Border Guard detachments.
It is envisaged that the Training Centre will provide professional education for approximately 2000 Ukrainian Border Guard officers a year. Facilities of the Centre will include 5 classrooms, teachers’ offices, a conference hall for 200 people, a library with internet access, computer and language laboratories, a gym. The Centre will also be equipped with simulators of the equipment used for border management that would allow the students to go through real life situations.
The State Border Guard Service of Ukraine has already donated a building for the Centre. The EU (EC) has confirmed their wish to provide necessary resources for the renovation of the facilities.
Currently EUBAM experts together with the State Border Guard Service managers identify training needs, develop detailed Strategic Plan for RTC curriculums, and elaborate technical specifications and precise budget. In is planned that the new Training Centre will operate on full capacity starting from 2010-20011.
Ukrainian border guards and EUBAM look forward to further cooperation
In the course of their meeting the Head of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, General of the Army Nikolay Litvin, and the Head of the European Union Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine, General Ferenc Banfi, assessed the results of the Mission’s cooperation with Ukrainian border guards and defined their plans for the future. At this meeting it was noted that joint cooperation has created considerable progress and there are definitely good prospects for its further development. In this case a prime example would be the joint BOMMOLUK - 2 Project, which envisages the creation of a regional BGS training centre for the Kotovsk border guard detachment, as well as provision of assistance to the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine to the total amount of 2.5 million Euro.
The 7th Trilateral Meeting on Ukrainian-Moldovan border-related issues takes place in Brussels
On 18 December 2008 a delegation from the State Customs Service of Ukraine took part in the 7th Trilateral Meeting of Ukraine, Moldova , and the European Union on the issues of border cooperation. The delegation was headed by the First Deputy Head of the State Customs Service of Ukraine, Mr Igor Pikovskiy.
In the course of the meeting border security on the Ukrainian-Moldovan state border was assessed and was deemed to have significantly improved since 2005, when the EU monitoring mission launched its activities in the region.
Moreover, participants discussed the issue of customs procedure implementation and admitted that it was fully operational and efficient. All parties agreed that the exchange of pre-arrival customs information between Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova is sufficiently implemented. However, the European delegation noted that, in its opinion, the information received was insufficiently taken into account by customs authorities of both Ukraine and Moldova.
Furthermore, the participants in the trilateral meeting considered the dialogue between Ukraine and Moldova on border demarcation to be productive, and agreed to a suggestion to arrange a working meeting on the expert level in Odessa.
In addition, attention was directed to the discussion of the activities of border agencies of Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova in the area of the fight against corruption. The European side acknowledged that their efforts in this area were effective but insufficient.
The EU suggested launching a relevant pilot project at the Rososhany – Briceni border crossing point. According to the proposal the pilot project in the Rososhany-Briceni BCP should establish efficient procedures, which in their turn will help to outline infrastructure requirements. Subsequently, taking into account of course the changes introduced into the current legislation, a dialogue can be resumed with the EU as to the development of a model BCP at Bronnytsya-Ungur, for which the European side is in a position to spend nearly 20 million Euro. The Moldovan side in turn proposed holding a pentalateral meeting on establishing joint control of Kuchurgan-Pervomaisk and Mayaki-Palanka BCPs.
In addition while in Brussels the delegation of the State Customs Service of Ukraine meet with the elected Secretary General of the WCO, Mr. Kunio Mikuriya and the Director of Capacity Building Directorate of the WCO, Mr. Lars Karlsson.
Public awareness campaign brings results
During the winter holidays border guards from the Southern Regional Directorate of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, in conjunction with experts from the European Union Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine, carried out a major campaign to raise public awareness of the national rules for border crossing with children. The campaigned included distribution of leaflets written in easy understandable format, work of a hot-line, publishing of the information in Internet.
Statistical analyses of number of rejections of border crossing by minors and children provides evidences of success of the campaign. In the first month of 2009 border guards had to refuse to allow about 180 Ukrainian nationals under 18 to cross the border. This number considerably decreased in comparison with a similar period during the previous year.
The success of the informational campaign proved that public awareness campaigns help to reduce significantly the number of conflict situation and misunderstandings occurred while people cross the border.
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The State Customs Service informs carriers on the new regulations as for exiting the EU member-states
To carriers: The State Customs Service of Ukraine informs us that, as of 1 January 2009, vehicles bringing goods into Ukraine for any purpose except for transit will not be allowed to enter the Ukrainian part of a border crossing point if the Single Automated Information System (SAIS of the State Customs Service) does not contain e-copies of the preliminary notification (PN) and preliminary customs declaration (PD) provided by the Ukrainian recipient of these goods.
Pursuant to the requirements of Article 93 of the Customs Code of Ukraine, in case there are goods to be brought into the customs territory of Ukraine, the declarant shall notify customs authorities in advance as to his/her intention of bringing such goods in.
Pursuant to the Regulation on the Cargo Delivery Control Procedures at the Customs of Destination, approved by the Order of the State Customs Service of Ukraine No. 771 of 8 December 1998, the addressee of the goods that are brought in with PN shall inform the sender or the carrier of these goods on the date and number of the registered PN marked in the bottom right hand corner of the accompanying documents.