Minsk Hosts 5th SURCAP II Steering Committee Meeting

The implementation of the SURCAP II project funded by EU and aimed at the enhancement of the Belarusian-Ukrainian border security is reaching its final stage. In this regard, the 5th meeting of the SURCAP Phase II Steering Committee was held on 7th June 2016 at the IOM office in Minsk to discuss and develop the plan of further activities. The meeting gathered all stakeholders of the project: representatives of the Belarusian and Ukrainian border guard services, IOM Minsk and Kiev offices, ICMPD, and EU Delegation to Belarus.

The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the project’s implementation progress and coordinate the forthcoming activities for the final period, to ensure the project goals are reached smoothly and effectively.

Thus, during the meeting participants discussed the planned study visit on Common Contact Points to Bulgaria being organized by ICMPD, establishment of the pilot Common Contact Point, as well as extra activities that can be carried out during the final period such as organization of the international conference on IBM, purchase of extra equipment for the needs of the border guard services, organization of the working meetings, etc.

Background information:

The EU-funded project “Strengthening Surveillance and Bilateral Coordination Capacity along the Common Border between Belarus and Ukraine” SURCAP Phase II is implemented by IOM Minsk and Kiev Missions jointly with the State Border Committee of the Republic of Belarus, State Border Guard Service of Ukraine and the International Centre of the Migration Policy Development (ICMPD).