European Union and State Border Committee joint projects

The State border of Belarus extends for 3600 km, 1200 km of which constitutes the border with the European Union Member States. The Belarusian Border Committee actively cooperates with the border institutions of the neighbouring countries and international organizations regarding border regulation. Starting in 1997, a number of joint projects related to capacity building at the Belarusian borders were implemented with European Commission funding and administration by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the UN Development Programme, the International Organisation for Migration and the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Everyone is interested in strong borders

An Officer of the State Border Committee, Mr. Aleksandr Tishchenko characterises the strengthening of the border as a point of mutual bilateral interest: "Naturally both our country and our neighbours benefit from having protected borders equipped with modern equipment that facilitates border crossing for citizens while being at the same time transparent for controlling authorities. Taking into account the geopolitical position of our country, our joint efforts are targeting the prevention of numerous violations. It is hard to overestimate the financial, technical and educational assistance of the European Union: in this regard".

In this sense the most profound and eloquent results came from cooperation between the State Border Troops Committee and the European Commission.

Within the project "Border Crossing Points" the construction of a modern administrative office at the Lithuanian border crossing point "Kamenny Log – Medzininkai" was completed in 2002. In addition, border crossing points "Kammenny Log", " Brest ("Varshavsky Most") and "Kozlovichi" (at the Polish border) were supplied with modern equipment. The budget of the project "Border Crossing Points" constituted 3.29 mln Euro and the border gendarmerie of Austria organized 6 educational seminars for Belarusian border guards.

The EU TACIS project on border demarcation of the Belarusian-Lithuanian and Belarusian-Latvian sectors successfully completed physical demarcation of the borders with the Baltic states (implemented from 2003 to 2006). This facilitated the start of a process of signing interstate agreements on border regime, mutual assistance and cooperation with Lithuania and Latvia (overall budget: 3,291 Euro).

Joint efforts and hard work

A number of projects were implemented jointly by the European Commission and the UNDP. In 2002 the Belarusian border guards received equipment worth 445 thousand Euro in total within a project on "Strengthening of Border Control at the Belarusian-Ukrainian Border".

In 2003 – 2005 within two projects, "Fighting Trafficking of Women in Belarus" and the BUMAD Programme concerning the fight against illegal drugs ("Programme for the Prevention of Drug Abuse and the Fight Against Drug Trafficking in Belarus, Ukraine and Moldova"), the State Border Committee of Belarus received equipment worth 255 thousand Euro. A national info-network on drugs and trafficking of human beings was set up and technical capability for finding and detaining narcotic substances on land border crossing points was improved.

The third stage of the BUMAD project is being implemented at the moment, particularly in respect of personnel training by the Border Committee jointly with the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

In 2005 – 2006 a project: "Improvement of Border management in Belarus" (BOMBEL 1) was implemented with overall budget 4.7 mln Euro. The project aimed to:

■ carry out comprehensive training for Belarusian border guards in the area of improvement of border protection and compliance with the EU standards;

■ improve the automated system of passport control and integrated system of communication of the Border Committee (air border crossing points were equipped with modern equipment);

■ renovate and bring the Canine Centre of the Border Committee in Smorgon up to the European standards;

■ organize an international conference on cross-border cooperation with the participation of representatives of the countries determining Border Security in Europe;

■ create at the Belarusian-Polish border in Brest a modern centre for detaining illegal migrants in compliance with European standards;

■ purchase equipment for detecting radioactive substances and carry out appropriate training for border guards.

In September 2006 an EU/UNDP project "Enhancing the System of Immigration Control at the State Border of the Republic of Belarus" (BOMBEL 2) was launched with an overall budget 9.066 mln Euro.

To date, within this project:

■ seven mobile border posts were set up;

■ new equipment was mounted in the tree mobile borer posts at the border with Ukraine;

■ new cars were purchased for subdivisions;

■ a system of detection and registration of trespassers was established;

■ an automated system of border control at all border crossing points of the Belarusian border was set up which allowed the abolition of exit stamps for Belarusian citizens.

The implementation of the BOMBEL 2 project will end in the end of April 2008.

Cooperation between the governmental and non-governmental sector

This year the State Border Committee for the first time acted as National Implementing Agency. Together with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees the Committee is implementing a project "Enhancing Effectiveness of separation and work with migration flow at the State border of Belarus". The budget within the EU ENEI Programme is 723 thousand Euro and the cooperating partners include the Ministry of Internal Affairs, NGO 'La Strada' working in the field of prevention of trafficking in women, and the Belarusian Office of the International Organisation for Migration. The programme provides funds for: the deportation of illegal migrants, the integration of refugees into the society, the purchase of 8 buses for transporting migrants, the setting up of Internet Centres at two scientific institution faculties and also for the organization of training and seminars for border guards.

We see good prospects for the future

In May 2008 another project will start as a follow up of the project implemented with the UNHCR with an overall budget of 635 thousand Euro. Within the project it is planned to supply border troops with 6 buses, set up computer and language courses, and an Internet Centre at the Centre of Cross-border Research. The project has already been approved by the European Commission.

According to Officer Aleksandr Tishchenko, in the near future a joint Belarus and EU project on "Improvement of cross-border and customs control in Belarus, Ukraine and Moldova" (BOMBEL 3) will start. Its total budget is 30 mln Euro, 14 mln of which will be allocated to Belarus. These funds are planned to fund the laying of optical communication lines at the borders with the European Union and purchase of equipment for integration of the system of biometric control and mobile x-ray equipment. Seminars and training will be organized for border guards and customs officials. The mechanisms for development of cooperation within the European Instrument of Neighbourhood and Partnership (EINP) are being developed at the moment.

Representatives of the State Border Committee of Belarus took part in meetings of working groups regarding the development of cross-border cooperation programmes " Belarus – Lithuania – Latvia" (on 28 February in Vilnius) and " Belarus – Poland – Ukraine" (on 6 March in Warsaw). A meeting of Border guards of Poland and Belarus is planned to be held in June in Minsk.

By Ludmila Korsak

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