The Foreign and European Integration Ministry's mass media and public relations directorate has made available to MOLDPRES the following communique:

"The ninth meeting of the Consultative Council of the European Union (EU) Border Assistance Mission to Ukraine and Moldova (EUBAM) started in Chisinau on 14 October 2008. The participants in the meeting are to review the activity of the mission jointly with the partner institutions. Participating in the forum are decision-makers from the Foreign and European Integration Ministry, Ukraine's Foreign Ministry, customs and border guards institutions from the two countries, European Commission, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), EU Special Representative for Moldova, EU Presidency, as well as the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

Deputy Premier, Foreign and European Integration Minister Andrei Stratan gave a speech at the beginning of the meeting.

The minister said that, according to the Moldovan side, the EU Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine, in close cooperation with the competent services from both countries, efficiently fulfill their duties, in line with the given mandate. The sides achieved positive results by joint efforts, so as to strengthen the customs regime, enhance the transparency of the import-export flows and progressively eliminate negative phenomena along the whole Moldovan-Ukrainian state border, especially its Transnistrian segment. Great importance is given to an efficient work of the mechanism of preliminary change of information between the two countries customs and border guards services, according to the protocols signed in Brussels on 21 November 2006. Moldova appreciates especially the EU Mission's contribution to monitoring the implementation of the joint declaration of the Moldovan and Ukrainian prime ministers from 30 December 2005. The sides to a great extent implemented the single customs regime which is stipulated in the declaration, and statistics on the registration of the enterprises working in the Transnistrian region (there are about 470 such enterprises now) represent eloquent evidence in this respect. The significant increase of the exports by the enterprises from Moldova's eastern districts proves the efficiency of the present mechanism of the export-import operations and the advantages of the region's economic agents entering the legal area of activity.

At the same time, Andrei Stratan said, the specific character of the region's foreign economic activity, the negative phenomena which still persist on the Transnistrian segment of the border, particularly the illicit flows of meat, cigarettes, vehicles and other goods, shows an imperative to identify solutions in order to bring all the foreign economic activity from the districts on the left banks of Dniestre into Moldova's legal framework, in line with the norms of the World Trade Organisation, Moldova and Ukraine are members of. The Moldovan side thinks that, at present, such a solution could be the establishment of a joint customs control on the central sector of the Moldovan-Ukrainian border. This goal meets not only the exigencies of setting a border and customs control according to the European Union's standards, but also the legitimate needs of both countries' citizens. It is equally obvious that this measure will also reduce the illicit economic benefits as regards the establishment of the constitutional control over the Transnistrian segment of the Moldovan-Ukrainian state frontier.

Andrei Stratan also thanked the European Commission and EUBAM for the assistance given in the process of the Moldovan-Ukrainian state border demarcation. He said that the Mission's recommendations on the improvement and efficient application of the normative basis are useful for Moldova's government while adjusting the border management methodologies to the European standards.

At the end, the foreign minister said that the EU Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine proved that it has turned into a successful story over those almost three years of activity. Given that the achievements got in this period were practical and useful, it is important that the Mission remains in action till the fulfillment of all the left aims. The head of the Moldovan diplomacy voiced hope for a favourable decision of the European Commission to start the necessary procedures on the prolongation of EUBAM's mandate after 1 December 2009. Given the EU Council's conclusions on Moldova, adopted in Luxembourg on 13 October, such a decision will be judicious, and will consolidate EU's commitment to efficiently contribute to a lasting settlement of the Transnistrian conflict on the basis of Moldova's sovereignty and territorial integrity."