The Customs Service of Moldova received equipment worth almost 400 000 EUR in the framework of an EC-funded project called BOMMOLUK, including Memory Sticks, laptop computers, portable printers, desktop PCs, shredders, combined fax/printer/scanners, X-ray machines, endoscopes, mobile telephones, digital cameras, weigh bridges, portable radio stations, control mirrors, drugs testing kits, IBM WebSphere software. The EC-financed project called BOMMOLUK was established in September 2006. It is aimed at improving management on the Moldovan-Ukrainian state border. The project is implemented by the EU Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine and has an overall budget of 9.9m EUR, of which 3.3m EUR have been released for the first phase ending in December 2007. 2.2m EUR of this sum have been spent on procurement of equipment for the border guard and customs services of Moldova and Ukraine. The EUBAM was launched on 30 November 2005 at the joint request of the Presidents of Moldova and Ukraine with the aim of ensuring regional security and the economic development on the border between the two states. The Mission’s head Ferenc Banfi said that the customs incomes in Moldova have increased lately. Though expressing satisfaction with the high level of cooperation based on trust and mutual interest, Banfi said that the results achieved could be even better. He also said that the customs has undergone qualitative changes in the past year; the focus was on the improvement of border management, especially on the central part of the Moldovan-Ukrainian border. According to Banfi, four join border control operations have been carried out in the past two years and the results were rather noticeable. A large number of customs employees were trained with the Mission’s support. The OSCE and the U.S. provided assistance alongside the EUBAM. The cooperation between the Moldovan and Ukrainian institutions is very important, the Mission’s head said, adding that the borders are much more secure than before. More offences are discovered and more criminal groups are detained. An information exchange system between the customs services of Moldova and Ukraine will be launched soon. The Customs Service’s director Feodosia Furculita said that the technical assistance will facilitate trade and will simplify the customs procedures both for individuals and legal entities. It will also enable to discover offences related to smuggling of drugs, counterfeit medicines and other goods.