Integrated Border Management in the Western Balkans and Turkey – Technical assistance 2009-2011

The overall objective is to enhance the development of functional, effective and integrated systems of border management in line with EU standards in the Western Balkans and Turkey through the enhancement of inter-agency, bilateral and regional cooperation and coordination. Specific outputs are as follows:

• Establishment of a permanent regional forum for Heads of Border Services
• Regional gap analysis of the eight countries;
• General and specific trainings on IBM Strategies, risk analysis, risk information exchange systems between customs administrations as well as veterinary and phytosanitary, migration and asylum services/agencies
• Two one-week study tours arranged to two EU MS countries with exemplary IBM-implemented procedures;

In each beneficiary country the results to be achieved at the end of the contract are as follows:

• Selectively enhance strategic border management capacities of the countries of the region and Turkey with the goal of harmonising IBM systems at regional level and with the EU acquis and practices;
• Develop and establish enhanced BCP level procedures and operations to effectively identify and process suspicious cases without hampering legitimate movements;
• Implement specific pilot projects at identified BCPs that demonstrate the benefit of IBM activities;
• Improve conceptual understanding of IBM among key decision makers and border management agencies’ staff;
• Support for the establishment or further development of compatible border control and related information systems throughout the region is an important part of the proposal;
• Adoption of IBM standards and development of national strategies based on EU standards
• Enhanced level of national inter-agency cooperation, regional cooperation and EUMS cooperation in the area of border management;
• Risk information exchange systems improved at Border Cross Points.

The consortium implementing the project was composed by IOM (lead) + Polish Border Guards + Republic of Lithuania Customs Department+ Hungarian Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development+ Finish National Board of Customs + Italian Customs Agency and Studiare Sviluppo.

Studiare Sviluppo has been in charged by the Italian Customs Agency to support the latter in its role of Leader of the Customs related activities amounting to 30% of the overall project budget (489.508 euros).