The European Commission has approved a new support package for the EU’s Eastern Neighbourhood of just over €23 million that will help to improve security, boost trade and increase mobility for people living in the region by implementing border management rules and adopting best practices on the Armenian-Georgian and Ukrainian-Belarus borders in line with EU standards.
As part of the Eastern Partnership Flagship Initiative on Integrated Border Management (IBM), this project will, in addition, provide training, equipment, infrastructure and advice; helping to reduce corruption, smuggling and people trafficking in the area and making it safer as a result.
“Making borders more efficient not only helps making countries more secure, it also opens up trade and job opportunities. I am pleased that thanks to this new package of support, we are providing millions of people in Eastern Partnership countries with more opportunities to make a living and be more mobile in their daily lives”, Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Štefan Füle said.
The new funding will also support multilateral activities of the Eastern Partnership; a partnership between the EU and countries on its Eastern borders. The support will be provided for various meetings and seminars of the Eastern Partnership platforms (fora for open discussion and exchange of best practices with partner countries, in line with EU norms and standards) and the Civil Society Forum (bringing together civil society organisations from the Eastern Partnership countries and the EU Member States).
