At its meeting on July 24, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine approved a National Integrated Border Management Strategy up to 2025.

According to the Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, who is the Chair of the Interdepartmental Working Group on Coordination of Integrated Border Management, the adoption of the Strategy is another step towards making the Ukrainian border transparent for all services whose activity is connected with its crossing, comfortable for everyone who crosses or transports the goods, and, of course, safe. It is a question of complete interaction among the Customs, border guards, the Armed Forces, regional and local authorities, and other concerned. Currently, the integrated border management sector comprises the competences of ten ministries and a number of other central executive authorities, each of which has its particular responsibility in terms of public policy in the abovementioned area.

The Strategy is designed to effectively implement the principles of integrated border management as proclaimed by the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the European Union. "Work in this direction is one of the obligations of Ukraine within the framework of deepened sectoral integration of Ukraine with the European Union, namely in the justice, freedom and security sector", said the Deputy Prime Minister.

The next important step, according to Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, should be the approval of the Action Plan for the implementation of the Strategy. The draft plan has already been developed.

Ivanna Klimpush-Tsintsadze also explained that during the drafting of the Strategy the best European practices (in particular, the experience of the Republic of Finland, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Republic of Poland and the Republic of Lithuania was learned) and the modern approaches in the sector of integrated border management were taken into account. In addition, the objective of improving a mechanism of coordinating the implementation of state policy in the field of integrated border management was determined by the Decree of the President of Ukraine dated March 17, 2018, No. 72/2018 "On the decision of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine dated March 1, 2018 "On urgent measures to neutralize threats to national security in the sector of migration policy".

These aspects require clear coordination aimed at achieving the pan-European goal of integrated border management - effective border management and migration management, response to potential threats, countering cross-border crime, ensuring a high level of internal security, while respecting fundamental rights and freedoms of citizens.

Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze thanked for the help that various EU institutions had provided during the work of the Interdepartmental Working Group. In particular, representatives of such leading organizations of the EU as the EU Delegation in Ukraine, the EU Advisory Mission in Ukraine (EUAM) and the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (FRONTEX) were included into the Interagency Working Group.

Background

On January 30, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine adopted Resolution No. 83 "On the Establishment of an Interdepartmental Working Group on Coordination of Integrated Border Management". The body was established on the initiative of the Administration of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine in order to improve a mechanism of coordinating the implementation of state policy in the field of integrated border management, taking into account the initiative of the EU Advisory Mission in Ukraine (EUAM) and the TWINNING-project results.

The Strategy contains best European practices adapted to the national legislation and based on the European principles of integrated border management along 11 directions and tasks.

1) Protection of the state border, border crossing procedures for the clearance of persons, transport and cargoes in line with the established order, and taking preventive measures to counter transfrontier crime.

2) Protection of sovereign rights of Ukraine in its exclusive maritime economic zone.

3) Risk analysis with applying a common integrated risk analysis model for EU Member States at the national and international levels.

4) Coordination of the activities of competent state authorities when implementing measures for implementation of the state policy in the sector of integrated border management.

5) Cooperation of competent state bodies on ensuring the security and openness of the state border and the exchange of information.

6) International cooperation with the competent authorities of foreign states, international organizations and institutions.

7) Investigative activities and pre-trial investigation in order to prevent, detect, document and investigate cross-border crime, counteract to illegal migration, trafficking in persons, etc.

8) Implementation and conclusion (joining) of international agreements in the sector of readmission, as well as ensuring the interaction of the competent authorities during the conduct of readmission procedures.

9) State border management, creation of an observation zone on the state maritime boundary, introduction of modern means of control, observation and information technologies.

10) Implementation of a mechanism for monitoring the quality of implementation of the agenda of integrated border management with the use of European standards for monitoring and evaluation.

11) Effective use of resources by competent state bodies in the implementation of state policy in the field of integrated border management.