ODESA, SEPTEMBER 12th, 2011, COINTEXT-PRICHERNOMORIE — EUBAM has signed the first Joint Statement of Cooperation with EU anti-corruption agency, Context-Prichernomorie correspondent reports.

The Mission’s press service reported today, 12 September.

According to their information, in a further demonstration of the Mission’s ongoing commitment to supporting anti-corruption initiatives in the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, the European Union Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine (EUBAM) today signed a Joint Statement of Cooperation with the Special Investigation Service of the Republic of Lithuania at EUBAM headquarters in Odessa.

It is the first time EUBAM has entered into formal cooperation with an anti-corruption agency of an EU member state. The logic of the move is to facilitate the transfer of knowledge and best practice from EU agencies in order to enhance the effectiveness of EUBAM’s capacity-building support to its partners – the border guard and customs services, and other law-enforcement agencies, of Moldova and Ukraine. This is also consistent with EUBAM’s overall objective: to support its partners in the approximation of their border-management procedures to EU standards, the press service informed.

It is now envisaged that, among other areas of collaboration, the Lithuanian service will provide trainers for EUBAM anti-corruption training events in areas such as corruption prevention, investigation and education. The experience of the Lithuanian service, as a new EU member, will prove particularly instructive.

EUBAM is due to sign a second Joint Statement of Cooperation with the Central Anti-Corruption Bureau of Poland in the near future.

INFORMATION: The EU Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine (EUBAM) was launched on 30 November 2005 at the joint request of the Presidents of the Republic Moldova and Ukraine. EUBAM is an EU mission fully funded by the European Union. It is an advisory, technical body. It has no executive powers. The Mission aims to make a sustainable contribution to the delivery of good quality border and customs services to the citizens and companies of Moldova and Ukraine to facilitate contacts and trade.