Study visit to Slovenia and Croatia on Integrated Border Management Techniques
On April 20-24, 2015 IOM organized a study visit for the officers of the border agencies of Belarus and Ukraine to Slovenia and Croatia with a view to study their experience in applying best IBM practices.
In Slovenia the participants visited the Chief Border Police Directorate, border checkpoint at Ljubljana airport, special force unit SENDM, border station ‘Obrezje’. The Croatian colleagues in their turn demonstrated to the joint Belarusian-Ukrainian delegation their work and accomplishments at the level of the General Police Directorate, border checkpoint at Zagreb airport, Migrant Detention Center ‘Jezevo’ and border checkpoint at the Slovenian-Croatian border.
In course of the visit the following issues were presented:
- Experience, practice, main challenges and solutions in applying the IBM concept;
- European experience in conducting preliminary investigation of border incidents, receipt and referral of border violators;
- Cooperation with the EU border agency ‘FRONTEX’,
- Forms and methods of managing migration flows at the border, inter alia in combating irregular migration at checkpoints, at the green border with the application of technical surveillance means,
- Use of so-called Schengen buses which represent a universal means that allows to verify documents on the spot, detain violators, check for drugs, forcefully stop the transport etc.,
- Coordination of actions between various units operating on green border and at border control;
- Effective automated border control system.
The information learnt during the visit and the findings made will be further applied in the work of the border agencies of Belarus and Ukraine.