EUBAM: Being EU's neighbor makes Moldova more attractive for trans-border criminals

The vicinity to the European Union (EU), Moldova's policy on EU integration, its economic and technological development makes the country more attractive for trans-border criminal gangs. The statement was made by the chief of the EU Border Assistance Mission in Moldova and Ukraine (EUBAM), Ferenc Banfi, on Monday, 23 June, opening a workshop on counteracting trans-border organized crime, Info-Prim Neo reports. Ferenc Banfi says the country's development opens new opportunities not only for honest persons and structures, but for the criminal ones, too. Now, Moldova is a transit country for organized crime (heroine and cocaine smuggling), a migration source country (migration and illegal labor, human beings trafficking), and destination country (economic and customs frauds, smuggling,) specified the EUBAM head. The Moldovan speaker, Marian Lupu, has said the adhesion of Romania, which brought the EU's border closer to Moldova and Ukraine, determines the EU countries to get involved more actively in counteracting organized crime. No doubt, the capos of trans-border gangs realize the political advantages the new EU's neighbors can offer from the viewpoint of access to the EU space. Also, the single EU market, the free movement of people, goods and services stimulate gangs to use the territory of the EU's neighoring countries for illegal transit and smuggling. “These new circumstances, and the frozen conflict on Moldova's territory continue to represent a serious threat for the European security,” Marian Lupu said. On the other hand, the head of the Border Guards Service, Igor Colenov, says they have not registered an increase of the violations at the Moldo-Romanian border in 2007, compared with the previous years, before Romania joined the EU. The workshop “The Global and European Image of Organized Crime – Now and in the Future,” is organized by the EUBAM in Chisinau on June 23 and 24. The training is atended by high level officials of law-enforcing and frontier guarding institutions from Moldova. They will tackle the reasons, the methods and the systems of organized criminals and till put forward strategies to combat organized crime. The workshop is a continuation of the joint work of the EUBAM, Moldova and Ukraine to establish an integrated system of management of the border. In September, 2008, such a seminar will be organized for the law-enforcement bodies from Ukraine.