Problematica transnistreană

http://www.osce.org/what/conflict-prevention

The OSCE works to prevent conflicts from arising and to facilitate lasting comprehensive political settlements for existing conflicts. It also helps with the process of rehabilitation in post-conflict areas. It co-operates with representatives of the United Nations and other international organizations operating in areas of conflict.

Transdniestria - through the "5+2" talks, which includes the sides, the Republic of Moldova and Transdniestria, the mediators - the Russian Federation, Ukraine and the OSCE - and the United States and the European Union as observers.

he OSCE chairs the negotiation process for a final, comprehensive and durable settlement of the Transdniestrian conflict. Since 2005, this process is known as the “5+2” and includes the OSCE, Russia and Ukraine as mediators, and the European Union and the United States as observers. The Mission works with the two sides to build confidence between the people that live on both sides of the Dniester/Nistru river. The Mission also participates as an observer in the Joint Control Commission, which is the supervisory body for the Joint Peacekeeping Forces, composed of the delegations of the Russian Federation, Moldova and Transdniestria, with Ukraine as an additional observer.

CHISINAU, 17 April 2014 – The Head of the OSCE Mission to Moldova, Ambassador Jennifer Brush, met today with a

US Congressional delegation during their visit to Moldova. The delegation included Senators John McCain, John

Barrasso, John Hoeven, and Ron Johnson, who represent several committees in the US Congress.

During the meeting, they discussed the current situation in Moldova, including Transdniestria and Gagauzia, OSCE

involvement in the Transdniestrian settlement process as well as the recent developments in the region.

“It is an honour for me and for the OSCE to welcome you to our Mission,” said Brush addressing the delegation.

“International interest in Moldova is growing, and I sincerely hope that the joint efforts of the international community

will help Moldova’s efforts to increase stability, democracy and prosperity in the region.”

Cat si:

http://www.osce.org/moldova 

The Mission’s top priority is to help resolve the Transdniestrian conflict. This dispute is rooted in the conflict that broke out in 1992 between the Transdniestrian authorities and the central government in Chisinau. Violent clashes resulted in several hundred casualties and more than 100,000 displaced persons. A ceasefire was agreed in July 1992 and the parties committed themselves to negotiate a settlement to the conflict. Other activities by the Mission include arms control; human rights issues and the strengthening of the rule of law in Moldova; supporting election processes; and developing a free environment for the media

Cat si: http://www.osce.org/moldova/118561

http://www.eubam.org/

cu datele: http://www.eubam.org/en/quick/faqs

EUBAM FAQs

Is the European Union Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine the only such mission in operation?

There is a second, but much smaller, EUBAM in Rafah, on the border of Egypt and Gaza in the Palestinian Territories. However, EUBAM in Moldova and Ukraine is considered the flagship border assistance mission, which uniquely, has operations on the ground in two (former Soviet) CIS countries.

How can you expect Moldova and Ukraine to modernize their border management and customs procedures with corruption being such a big issue?

EUBAM recognises that corruption represents a serious impediment to the modernization of border management procedures, and is an endemic problem, rife in both the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. The fight against corruption cannot be won overnight, but all four of EUBAM’s main partners have declared their commitment to the long-term fight against corruption and support for anti-corruption initiatives. EUBAM takes this commitment in good faith as it moves forward, in partnership, with its hosts in Moldova and Ukraine. EUBAM is supporting its partners in the reform of their operations, including in the fight to tackle corruption, and have taken some strides in addressing the problem. The Mission has appointed a dedicated anti-corruption advisor, and drafted a EUBAM Anti-corruption Assistance Strategy, 2010-2012, which identifies key areas for future engagement within the context of EUBAM’s mandate.

Cooperation with the Centre for Combating Economic Crimes and Corruption (CCECC) of Moldova has become a key partnership for EUBAM. Meanwhile, pertinent anti-corruption issues are now a central feature of EUBAM training initiatives. EUBAM considers engagement with the youth of Moldova and Ukraine a particularly vital part of the anti-corruption effort, so an increasing part of the Mission’s outreach activities is devoted to university lectures and anti-corruption schools.The establishment of two pilot projects – ‘Islands of Integrity’ border crossing points along the Moldova-Ukraine common border – has been among the steps implemented by EUBAM to improve professional integrity and demonstrate that reducing the level of corruption at BCPs is an achievable target provided there is strong commitment and leadership.

Does EUBAM prosecute those individuals caught smuggling or engaged in other illicit activities, or are all cases turned over to the Ukrainian or Moldovan authorities?

EUBAM does not have executive powers, and so does not interfere in the prosecution process in either country. Rather it provides technical expertise to Moldovan and Ukrainian law enforcement agencies. This can be through facilitating inter-agency and international cooperation, or by assisting in the investigation and prosecution of criminal cases, also through the technical advice of its experts.

Why do the authorities in Moldova and Ukrainian need training or assistance at all, and what is deficient about their border-management practices?

EUBAM assists our partners across a whole range of areas (including by providing on the job training), so that they can make progress in approximating their border and customs standards to those prevalent in the EU. It is only 20 years since the break-up of the Soviet Union and emergence of new states such as the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. So it is probably not surprising that standards in the area of border control and customs still need a lot of improvement. The political instability along the Transnistrian portion of the border complicates things further (as does the vulnerability of this part of the border to organised crime), while there is also the prevalence of corruption. So all of these factors mean both countries face many challenges in raising standards. One might say there is a lack of experience of ‘EU best practices’, often a lack of motivation (which is linked to the prevalence of corruption), and a lack of a customer-service mentality. But on all these fronts our partners are making considerable progress.

How can EUBAM control the entire Moldova-Ukraine frontier (1,222km) properly? Do you have budget problems?

EUBAM does not ‘control’ any part of the border. We offer technical advice to our partners (the border guard and customs services, and other relevant law enforcement agencies of Moldova and Ukraine), whose job it is to control this border. We have a budget of EUR12 million annually (provided by the European Union], which has been sufficient for us – we have not asked to have this budget increased.

Has smuggling increased or decreased along the Moldova-Ukraine border?

Detected cases of smuggling increased from 2,189 cases in 2008 to 2,677 cases in 2010 along the common Moldova-Ukraine border. But this does not necessarily prove that smuggling is more prevalent, because as a result of EUBAM’s contribution detection methods have also become more effective and sophisticated.

What kind of smuggled items did the Joint Border Control Operation Tyra 2010 discover?

There were 277 cases of smuggled goods seized during TYRA, 50 of which could be said to be associated with regional or international organised crime. The cases involved seizure of cigarettes, alcohol, consumer goods, drugs and vehicles (worth EUR 535,000).

What exactly is the Joint Declaration?

The Joint Declaration, signed by the Moldovan and Ukrainian governments in 2005, allows companies based in the Transnistrian region of the Republic of Moldova to access the same trade preferences for exports to the EU as other Moldovan companies. Additionally, a process of reimbursement ensures that these companies that import do not ultimately incur Moldovan customs duties and taxes, except for the fee for the implementation of the customs procedures. To avail of these terms, Transnistrian-based companies must first clear their goods with customs representatives in Chisinau. Basically, the Joint Declaration was designed to encourage the flow of legitimate goods to and from the Transnistrian region of the Republic of Moldova, by way of a transparent customs-checking procedure. As part of the support it provides, EUBAM has been monitoring the implementation of the JD.

Do most companies located in the Transnistrian region actually register in Chisinau?

By the end of May 2011, there were 718 economic operators from Transnistria registered with the Chisinau authorities, of which 217 were on a permanent basis and 501 on a temporary basis. According to the Joint Declaration this indicates those Transnistrian-based companies that are engaged in legitimate business, which is a very positive outcome of Moldova-Ukraine efforts, assisted by EUBAM on the ground. EUBAM holds figures only for those companies who have registered with the Chisinau authorities.

What role does EUBAM play in terms of the Transnistrian conflict and what is its ‘contribution’ to the settlement process?

EUBAM does not intervene on a political level regarding the frozen conflict in the Transnistrian region of Moldova. Nevertheless, EUBAM hopes that its support it can offer on a technical/advisory level, to assist confidence-building measures, will help to create an environment conducive to dialogue and contribute meaningfully to an eventual settlement of the Dniester conflict. EUBAM facilitates the normalization of legitimate cross-border trade, including for those businesses in Transnistria that choose to register with the State Register Chamber in Chisinau (see above). Overseeing the implementation of the Joint Declaration has served to encourage the flow of legitimate cross-border trade, while EUBAM

support was also a key component in the re-opening of the Chisinau-Odessa passenger railway route (which traverses the Transnistrian region). EUBAM believes this kind of support will also have a stabilizing effect and serve as a benefit to society.

What does EUBAM mean by its core value of ‘neutrality’?

Neutrality means we don’t interfere in the policy making or prosecution process of either host country (in respect of our ‘non-executive’ role), and certainly do not make accusations of any description, nor favour one country over the other, and try to ensure that advice we give is impartial, professional, and based on best practice. We are guests here and it is important to be very clear about our supporting role and the limitations of that.

Is EUBAM efficient as an instrument of promoting the EU and its values in Ukraine and Moldova? Is there a great interest for EUBAM from the youth and civil society in both countries?

Yes, and this is among our core outreach activities. So far, we have developed partnerships with seven universities and academic institutes in Moldova and Ukraine. As part of the cooperation EUBAM experts give lectures at the universities, the students participate in EUBAM open days and in EUBAM summer schools and anti-corruption schools. Since autumn 2009 the Mission has stepped up these activities, because we feel that engaging the youth is critical in terms of addressing key issues such as corruption. We also try to disseminate information on the EU and EU values in all of our outreach work. For instance our field offices give regular presentations to schools in their Areas of Responsibility. We have enjoyed excellent relationships with our academic partners so far, they always show great enthusiasm for EUBAM’s work. But obviously we would like to do more, and communicate with more people.

Is EUBAM’s presence an indication that Moldova and Ukraine will one day be integrated into the EU?

Obviously the European Union has an interest in the border-security of its nearest neighbours, because this impacts on the security of the EU. The EU has also intensified its cooperation with its eastern neighbours through the Eastern Partnership. However, EUBAM’s presence in no way implies some kind of ‘stepping stone’ to EU integration. Whatever the future relationship between the EU and Moldova/Ukraine, this is to be determined at the political level.

What is the situation regarding demarcation of the Moldova-Ukraine border?

Delimitation of the MD-UA state border was carried out in 1995-1999. An agreement between the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine on the state border was signed on 18 August 1999 and ratified by the parliaments of both countries in November 2001. For demarcation the state border was divided into three segments: the northern, the central and the southern segments. Border demarcation of the northern and southern segments of the border was carried out mainly in 2003-2006. Demarcation works yet to be completed in one sector of the northern segment and in six sectors of the southern segment. The demarcation of the central segment (472km) started in July 2010. By the end of the season approximately 122km of the border was demarcated. This process may be concluded at the end of 2011 or in 2012. Disputes still exist in some areas between the Moldovan and Ukrainian parties, but with EUBAM support these issues are being addressed. At the request of the Joint Ukrainian-Moldovan Commission on Border Demarcation (JUMCBD), EUBAM deployed a short-term expert for assistance and monitoring of field works. Satellite images of the border areas along the central segment were also provided by EUBAM to assist the demarcation process.

Has EUBAM found evidence of Trafficking in Human Beings on the Moldova-Ukraine border? And what can it do to stop the phenomenon?

Like other examples of cross-border organized crime, trafficking in human beings is a transnational phenomenon that by its nature occurs across many borders in all parts of the world. We can also observe that it is particularly difficult to detect, because whereas a seizure of counterfeit cigarettes on the border is easy to identify as illegal, with THB you are often dealing with an individual legally crossing a border. This person would either be reluctant to divulge information, or simply be unaware of the true purpose of their own journey. So international efforts at counteracting THB are focused on gathering intelligence on transit routes and organized criminal networks, based on testimonies from victims after they’ve reached their destinations. This requires concerted cooperation and information exchange between law-enforcement agencies in many countries.

In this regard, in order to tackle the phenomenon, EUBAM offers support to the partner services in both Ukraine and Moldova on a daily basis. This involves working together with case investigators for better identification of perpetrators and victims, establishing international cooperation with EU law-enforcement agencies from countries of transit and destination, as well as with EUROPOL, INTERPOL, and FRONTEX.