Integrated border management for easier travel and transport

(Svetlana Ljubicic, Milutin Mrkonjic, Ivica Dacic and Sasa Dragin)

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management stated that an agreement regarding the formation of an operational working group had been signed the day before (June 30, 2010). The working group will be responsible for coordinating integrated border management at a central level.

According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Agriculture, the agreement was signed by First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior Ivica Dacic, Minister of Infrastructure Milutin Mrkonjic, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management Sasa Dragin and Treasury Administration Director Svetlana Ljubicic.

The government adopted a national Integrated Border Management Strategy and approved an action plan for implementing the Strategy in 2006.

An agreement on cooperation in the area of integrated border management was signed between the ministries of agriculture, the interior, finance and infrastructure in February 2009.

Integrated border management is a strategy used by all EU countries, members as well as candidates.

The purpose of the strategy is to harmonize and coordinate the work of all departments related to border management in order to facilitate faster and easier travel and transport, while providing maximum security, with its essential goal being to find an optimal ratio between the flow of people and goods on the one hand and security issues on the other, for which the coordinated work of all services is needed.

The state will also save funds by reducing the number of customs officers at border crossings and using equipment that does not have to be procured for each service individually, but is used jointly.

The direct exchange of obtained information is also important since it leads to joint operations and the confiscation of goods, prevention of human trafficking as well as weapons and drugs smuggling.

The strategy is already being implemented and has yielded good results. By signing this agreement the state has secured a basis for further implementation of the strategy, the statement adds.

Ministarstvo poljoprivrede, šumarstva i vodoprivrede Republike Srbije

Ministarstvo unutrašnjih poslova Republike Srbije

Uprava za trezor Republike Srbije

Ministarstvo finansija Republike Srbije

Ivica Dačić

Milutin Mrkonjić

Svetlana Ljubičić

Integrated Border Management Strategy

Action plan for implementation of Integrated Border Management Strategy