The EU will advise Moldova on border control and internal security

BRUSSELS, July 11 (EUROPE PRESS) –

The European Union will advise the authorities in Moldova on how to strengthen control of its border and internal security, with a view to combating arms trafficking and the irregular passage of migrants in the face of increased “threats” to the security of both regions after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Due to its geopolitical situation, the EU considers that Moldova plays a key role in the fight against organized crime and the security consequences of the war in Ukraine and believes that with this “cooperation platform” it also shows the support of the community bloc to the country recently accepted as a candidate for accession.

The launch of the platform was formalized this Monday on the margins of the informal meeting of EU interior ministers gathered in Prague, which was also attended by the Moldovan interior minister, Ana Revenco, to sign the agreement and the first meeting with the Member States.

The agenda of the first meeting has been focused on the risks of firearms trafficking and how to face this problem in a coordinated manner, although the platform will address other long-term issues such as the fight against terrorism and violent extremism, drug trafficking or the cybercrime.

Upon her arrival at the meeting in Prague, the Commissioner for the Interior, Ylva Johansson, highlighted the value of the new cooperation, which will allow the deployment of troops and the exchange of information, in the face of risks that the United Nations has already warned of — such as the production and marketing of new drugs– and other dangers such as illegal arms trafficking that is expected from the “experience” of previous conflicts such as the one in the Balkans.

“We know from experience that in times of war very often firearms are moved sooner or later. We know how many weapons there are in Ukraine and they do not always end up in the right hands, so you have to be prepared and protect yourself”, defended the commissioner in statements to the press.

The headquarters of the platform will be in the Moldovan capital, Chisinau, and it will be the EU delegation in Moldova that will assume its coordination, community services have reported.

The EU’s external border control agency, Frontex, and other community organizations have already been present in Moldova to help the authorities in migratory control for months, although this new framework will make it possible to identify new support and financing needs for strengthen internal security.