EU to advise Moldova on border control and internal security

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The European Union will advise authorities in Moldova on how to strengthen their border control and internal security, with an eye on combating arms trafficking and the irregular passage of migrants in the face of increased “threats” to the security of both regions in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Because of its geopolitical situation, the EU sees Moldova as playing 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 is also showing the EU bloc’s support for the country recently accepted as a candidate for accession.

The launching of the platform was formalized on Monday in the margins of the informal meeting of EU interior ministers gathered in Prague and which was also attended by the Moldovan minister of the branch, Ana Revenco, for the signing of the agreement and the first meeting with the member states.

The agenda of the first meeting focused on the risks of firearms trafficking and how to address 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 and cybercrime.

On her arrival at the meeting in Prague, the Commissioner for Home Affairs, 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 of which the United Nations has already warned – such as the production and marketing of new drugs – and other dangers such as the trafficking of illegal arms, which is expected due to the “experience” of previous conflicts such as the one in the Balkans.

“We know from experience that in times of war very often firearms move sooner or later. We know how many weapons there are in Ukraine and they don’t always end up in the right hands, that’s why we have to be prepared and protect ourselves,” the commissioner defended in press statements.

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, the community services have informed.

The EU’s external border control agency, Frontex, and other EU agencies have already been present in Moldova to assist the authorities in migration control for months, although this new framework will identify new needs for support and funding to strengthen internal security.