Belarus and Ukraine border guards visit Warsaw to Strengthen Partnership with Frontex, Polish Border Guard

In June 2014, a joint delegation of senior Belarusian and Ukrainian border guards undertook a networking visit to Warsaw to meet with the European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders of the European Union Member States – Frontex and Polish Border Guard. The visit was organized within the framework of the EU funded project, “Strengthening surveillance capacity on the green and blue border between Belarus and Ukraine (SURCAP)”.

Frontex experts discussed technical aspects of risk analysis and border surveillance at the external borders of the EU during their meetings with the delegates. The border officials also acquired theoretical and practical knowledge on Frontex Situation Centre and Eurosur system that was specially developed for the improvement of border management of the EU external borders. The Polish Border Guard, a long-term partner of both the Belarusian and Ukrainian border authorities, familiarized the delegation with challenges arising from the introduction of Eurosur into Poland’s national border management framework and presented on recent changes to Polish migration legislation.

The Belarusian and Ukrainian participants of the networking visit utilized the trip to Warsaw to reestablish contacts with their colleagues from the Polish Border Guard and consider the possibility of trilateral information exchange for comprehensive risk analysis.

In order to ensure further sustainability, the participants of the study visit will share the acquired knowledge with the respective staff of their own border agencies.

Background:
The regional project titled, “Strengthening surveillance capacity on the green and blue border between Belarus and Ukraine (SURCAP),” was carried out in March 2012 – June 2014. The project was funded by the European Union and implemented by IOM with the support of ICMPD. The project’s budget for the two countries was EUR 765,000, covering the training component of a larger, EU-funded action. In 2014 – 2016, IOM will implement the 2nd Phase of the SURCAP project, which envisages both training and technical components.

For more detailed information, please contact the responsible IOM officer in Minsk:
Pavel Kholod, Programmes Coordinator, IOM Minsk, tel: (375 17) 284 40 82