European Union Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine
Encyclopedia
The European Union Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine (EUBAM) is a European Union
structure, created to control the traffic on borders between Moldova
and Ukraine
.
The mission was established in November 2005 at the joint request of the Presidents of Moldova
and Ukraine
. The mission scope is assistance on the modernization of management of common border of these countries in accordance with European standards, and to help in the search for a resolution to Transnistrian conflict of the Republic of Moldova.
The European Union Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine (EUBAM) was launched on 30 November 2005 following a request made jointly to the European Commission by the presidents of the Republic Moldova and Ukraine. A range of illicit cross-border activity, including trafficking of human beings, smuggling and other illegal trade, was occurring along the 1,222km-long MD/UA border, a phenomenon not helped by the secessionist region of Transnistria in Moldova (which lies adjacent to 472km of the same border), over which the government of Moldova has no control. As a result both governments were losing substantial amounts in revenue to organised crime.
Fully funded by the European Union within the context of the EU Neighbourhood Partnership Instrument, and with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) acting as implementing partner, EUBAM is an advisory, technical body mandated to enhance the capacities of our partners – the border guard and customs authorities and other law enforcement and State agencies of Moldova and Ukraine. By offering comprehensive support to our partners on EU best practice from its headquarters in Odessa and six field offices on either side of the Moldova/Ukraine common border, EUBAM envisages that border and customs procedures and standards in MD/UA will ultimately mirror those prevalent in the European Union.
On a broader context and within the framework of the European Neighbourhood Policy, EUBAM is a unique instrument by which the EU strives on the one hand to encourage the movement of legitimate trade and travel, and on the other hand to guarantee security for its citizens and tackle criminality.
EUBAM has an annual budget of €12 million and a staff of over 200, approximately 100 seconded and contracted staff from EU member States, four UNDP staff, and 126 national staff of Moldova and Ukraine. A Memorandum of Understanding signed by the European Commission, the government of Moldova, and the government of Ukraine in late 2005 is the legal basis for EUBAM, while an advisory board – which meets twice a year – acts as the Mission’s governing body. The Mission’s six cherished core values are neutrality, partnership, reliability, results, service and transparency. The mandate of the Mission has already been extended twice (once in 2007, again in 2009), with the current mandate expiring on 30 November, 2011.
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
structure, created to control the traffic on borders between Moldova
Moldova
Moldova , officially the Republic of Moldova is a landlocked state in Eastern Europe, located between Romania to the West and Ukraine to the North, East and South. It declared itself an independent state with the same boundaries as the preceding Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1991, as part...
and Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
.
The mission was established in November 2005 at the joint request of the Presidents of Moldova
President of Moldova
The President of the Republic of Moldova is the head of state of Moldova.-Description of the post:According to the Article 77 of the Constitution of Moldova , the President of Moldova is the head of the State and represents the State and is the guarantor of national sovereignty, independence, of...
and Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
. The mission scope is assistance on the modernization of management of common border of these countries in accordance with European standards, and to help in the search for a resolution to Transnistrian conflict of the Republic of Moldova.
The European Union Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine (EUBAM) was launched on 30 November 2005 following a request made jointly to the European Commission by the presidents of the Republic Moldova and Ukraine. A range of illicit cross-border activity, including trafficking of human beings, smuggling and other illegal trade, was occurring along the 1,222km-long MD/UA border, a phenomenon not helped by the secessionist region of Transnistria in Moldova (which lies adjacent to 472km of the same border), over which the government of Moldova has no control. As a result both governments were losing substantial amounts in revenue to organised crime.
Fully funded by the European Union within the context of the EU Neighbourhood Partnership Instrument, and with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) acting as implementing partner, EUBAM is an advisory, technical body mandated to enhance the capacities of our partners – the border guard and customs authorities and other law enforcement and State agencies of Moldova and Ukraine. By offering comprehensive support to our partners on EU best practice from its headquarters in Odessa and six field offices on either side of the Moldova/Ukraine common border, EUBAM envisages that border and customs procedures and standards in MD/UA will ultimately mirror those prevalent in the European Union.
On a broader context and within the framework of the European Neighbourhood Policy, EUBAM is a unique instrument by which the EU strives on the one hand to encourage the movement of legitimate trade and travel, and on the other hand to guarantee security for its citizens and tackle criminality.
EUBAM has an annual budget of €12 million and a staff of over 200, approximately 100 seconded and contracted staff from EU member States, four UNDP staff, and 126 national staff of Moldova and Ukraine. A Memorandum of Understanding signed by the European Commission, the government of Moldova, and the government of Ukraine in late 2005 is the legal basis for EUBAM, while an advisory board – which meets twice a year – acts as the Mission’s governing body. The Mission’s six cherished core values are neutrality, partnership, reliability, results, service and transparency. The mandate of the Mission has already been extended twice (once in 2007, again in 2009), with the current mandate expiring on 30 November, 2011.