Brussels, 06/10/2005 (Agence Europe) - European Commissioner for External Relations Benita Ferrero-Waldner will be in Moldova on Friday 7 October for the signing of the protocol of agreement between the European Commission, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, opening the way to the launching, on 1 December, of the EU mission to contribute to border control management. On 6 October, the Commissioner will attend the inauguration of the new European Commission delegation for Moldova.
The EU Border Assistance Mission will have a two-year mandate which can be extended if necessary, and it will cost the Community budget EUR 7 million. There will be a core team of 15, assisted by 50 EU customs officials and border guards generally posted by Member States. The mission will be made up of mobile teams who will offer on-the-job training to Moldovan and Ukrainian officials, reinforcing the capacity of the existing services to carry out effective controls and surveillance, and thus reducing the risk of cross-border criminal activities such as trafficking in persons, smuggling, proliferation of weapons and customs fraud.