Best European practices for strengthening cross-border information exchange

Even though there is a good level of cooperation between Moldovan and Ukrainian border agencies, when it comes to fighting cross-border crime, secure and effective information exchange is pivotal. With this in mind, EUBAM (European Union Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine) hosted a workshop for its Partners from the Ukrainian Border Guard Service and Moldovan Border Police on the Europol’s Secure Information Exchange Network Application (SIENA). On 14 September, a total of 46 participants took part in the workshop, including speakers from Europol and the German Federal Police, decision-makers and experts from the border agencies of the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, as well as observers from the National Police of Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova.

During the workshop experts from the European law enforcement agencies introduced SIENA to the Ukrainian and Moldovan border guards and policemen, offering them a better understanding of what SIENA is and what useful features it has for a secure data transfer, making it an application of choice especially for the jointly operated border crossing points. German Federal Police demonstrated practical implementation of SIENA in the Police and Customs Cooperation Centre (PCCC) Passau, at the border between Germany and Austria. At the same time representatives of National Police of the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, which already successfully use that system to exchange intelligence with their European counterparts shared their experience. In the end, the participants discussed the peculiarities and strategy for the possible future SIENA’s implementation at Common Contact Point (CCP) Palanca.

According to Europol, it could be the first time when non-EU countries use this Europol system for secure information exchange between each other.