Ambassador Teixeira chairs 18th EUBAM Advisory Board Meeting

Odessa, 24 May 2012: Ambassador Jose Manuel Pinto Teixeira today chaired the 18th Advisory Board Meeting (ABM) of the European Union Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine (EUBAM) and commended the progress made by EUBAM and its border-management partners in Moldova and Ukraine.

This was EUBAM’s 18^th ABM, giving the Mission the opportunity to present its annual report for 2010-2011 and outline progress to its main partners – the foreign ministries, and border-guard and customs services of Moldova and Ukraine – and international partners including the EU delegations in Moldova and Ukraine, the United Nations Development Programme, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. An activity report covering the period December 2011 to April 2012 was presented to the ABM participants in addition to the annual report.

“EUBAM is one of the outstanding examples of how the European Union can support the governance reform process in this region,” said Ambassador Teixeira. “I truly believe that by sharing best EU practices with our neighbours, real progress can be made in improving security and assisting economic development, which of course is for the mutual benefit of the European Union and its close neighbours.”

The Advisory Board acknowledged progress made by EUBAM across all areas of its activities, including its continued capacity building and operational support to partners, but singled out for special mention the Mission’s support for EURO 2012 preparations, the launching of a Jointly Operated Border Crossing Point at Rossoshany-Briceni in February, and EUBAM’s contribution to the resumption of rail freight traffic through Transnistria.

With a mandate to provide technical assistance until November 2015, the Head of EUBAM Mr Udo Burkholder said that its partners in both countries could count on the Mission’s long-term commitment to improving border-management standards on the Moldova-Ukraine border. “We are an ambitious mission,” said Mr Burkholder, “and with higher achievements come higher expectations. But we intend to be equal to those expectations.”

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NOTE: EUBAM began operations on 30 November 2005, with a mandate to provide support and technical advice to its main partners, the border guard and customs authorities of the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, as they seek to approximate their procedures to EU standards. The Advisory Board is the Mission’s governing body and convenes twice a year.

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