Kyiv – With seven neighbours, over 150 international and inter-state border crossing points, Ukraine has one of the longest and busiest frontiers in Europe.

Almost 100 million people and over 20 million vehicles crossed Ukraine’s borders last year – respectively a nine per cent and a two per cent increase on 2016.

IOM, the UN Migration Agency has just signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation with the State Fiscal Service (SFS) of Ukraine which sets out to help Ukraine ensure the right balance between open and controlled borders.

“We aim to support Ukraine in facilitating secure, transparent and more efficient border procedures for the benefit of cross-border trade and movement of persons in the region,” said IOM Ukraine Chief of Mission, Dr. Thomas Lothar Weiss, after signing the memorandum of understanding with the acting Head of the SFS, Myroslav Prodan.

The memorandum covers issues such as customs modernization in Ukraine, simplification of border crossing formalities, harmonization of border crossing procedures and their adaptation to EU best practices, improvement of inter-agency cooperation on border management, enhancement of risk management and the capacity to counter illicit movement of goods, irregular border crossings and corruption.

“We are also creating opportunities for cooperation on the enhancement of human resources management and training of personnel, improvement of the customs infrastructure at the border crossing points, and instalment of modern equipment,” said Prodan.

IOM and the State Fiscal Service of Ukraine started cooperating in 2013 through several EU-funded projects, benefitting customs authorities of Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova, as well as travellers, businesses and cargo operators.

The recently launched EU-funded project Enhancing Integrated Border Management along the Ukraine-Moldova Border, implemented by IOM, is aimed at renovating and equipping – from furniture and servers to weighing and inspection equipment − two border crossing points: Kuchurhan-Pervomaisc and Reni-Giurgiulesti.

For more information, please contact Varvara Zhluktenko at IOM Ukraine, Tel: +38 044 568 50 15, +38 967 447 97 92, Email: vzhluktenko@iom.int