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Abstracts from Address by Mr.D.A. Bezdelov, Head of Rosgranitsa

“Improving the Development Management System for the Russian State Border checkpoints” Project Presentation

April 6, 2010

Dear Mister Valensuela!

Dear Mister Ponziani!

Esteemed colleagues!

Allow me first to thank you for attending our today’s event, and for giving me the floor.

I would also like to thank Mr. Valensuela for his appreciation of the co-operation between Rosgranitsa and EU’s institutions in enhancing security and development, which primarily concerns the state border checkpoints.

The Federal Agency for the State Border Development is vested with significant functions. We influence the quality of traffic through the border checkpoints. These are the lengths of the border, across which we do our foreign trade, and develop our partnership in all domains, including tourism. The border checkpoints ensure our national security, and serve as a façade of our country.

Every year, the Russian border is crossed both ways by over 30 million people, and the foreign trade turnover made 500 billion UD dollars in 2009.

When Rosgranitsa took over, we found that out of the many checkpoints we have (more than four hundred as of then) quite a few do not meet up-to-date international equipment requirements. With that, we have more border checkpoints than, say, the US (327).

This is why Rosgranitsa puts such emphasis on the international practices of border checkpoints development.

Our interaction with the European Union’s Representation Office in Russia started a year and a half ago.

Back then, Rosgranitsa and the International Migration Organization filed a joint application for the implementation of the “Improving the Development Management System for the Russian State Border checkpoints” Project, in the framework of the EU Program “Shared Spaces Mechanism”. The application was approved by the Russian Foreign Ministry and Ministry for Economic Development. 

Financial evaluation of our plans has shown that we exceed the recommended sum of 200 thousand euros.

We intended our project to yield effect countrywide, to be applicable elsewhere besides the EU-Russia border. We received support, and the project’s budget was augmented up to 600 thousand euros.

The project is operated by the International Migration Organization, which has dealt with Russian as well as European border checkpoints. On August 26, 2009, Rosgranitsa and the International Migration Organization signed a Memorandum of Understanding.

The project implementation started in September 2009 and is estimated to last for 18 months.

Now I shall briefly outline the project.

1.               The project involves a research into the problems of border checkpoints development, including assessment of the respective regulatory basis and administrative agencies.

2.               There are plans to hold several operative panel meetings and workshops on improving the border checkpoints’ administration and functioning.

3.               Drafting is being done of an overview of international practices of border checkpoints development and administration, and its possible adoption in Russia.

4.               Also involved in the project is development of a standard border checkpoint’s interactive scheme. The scheme would show a basic border checkpoint whose operation would be adjustable and updatable.

5.               The project also encompasses development of a modular learning aid for experts training and further use by employees of the competent authorities.

6.               The project envisages 3 visits of interagency delegations representing Rosgranitsa, Russian FSS’s Border Guard Service, FCS (Federal Customs Service), and IMO’s Moscow bureau:

- to Finland in order to study international practices of state border checkpoints development (the visit took place November 16 till 21, 2009);

- to France in order to find out about the Shengen information system and manufacture of screening units (the visit took place March 21 till 27, 2010); and

- to Poland (the visit is planned for August 2010).

7. There will be an electronic expert base of the relevant international organizations, enabling search of the required information.

In the course of the project’s implementation, Rosgranitsa already can single out a number of positive outcomes and interesting results:

In Finland, our people have learned about applying biometric technologies at border checkpoints.

Introduction of biometric technologies facilitates the border checks, reduces the queues, and releases the staff earlier engaged in screening the people crossing the border and their papers.

In France, the Russian delegation was provided with materials on the Fundamentals and basic principles of the second-generation Shengen Information System, which is a successor to the Shengen System-1.

The visit to France touched upon the issues that the Central Directorate of the Border Police of the French Ministry of Internal Affairs is in charge of, such as control of goods and people traffic across the border, cutting criminal activity at the border (terrorism, drug and human trafficking, smuggling, illegal migration).

At the Port of Pas-de-Calais and the railway border checkpoint, the delegation was shown screening units, carbon dioxide and heartbeat detectors. Those are used to detect illegally transported people, animals and plants. This equipment enables quicker checks.

Another event found rewarding by people from Rosgranitsa, other competent authorities and Rosgranitsa’s territorial administrations was a workshop held in Rostov-on-Don earlier this year in March.

The European and Russian experts covered such issues as:

“Integrated border administration”;

“International practices of using biometric technologies and automated border crossing procedures”.

Mister Franz Prutsch in his report in Rostov named the basic principle of integrated border administration:

“National and international cooperation and coordination of activities between all interested agencies engaged in ensuring borders security and optimization of foreign trade in order to make the borders open and at the same time secure”.

This principle is in line with our idea of state border development.

I would like to note that the competent governmental authorities both in Finland and France spoke about the need of better synchronization of procedures and formalities at adjacent border checkpoints, as well as of the plans of the Parties as to the further infrastructural development.

In this connection, we have worked out draft Standard Agreement between Rosgranitsa and the competent authorities of the neighbouring counties on interaction and exchange of information on the border checkpoints development. Those draft agreements were passed via diplomatic channels to the competent authorities of Norway, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Mongolia, China, Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The idea of signing such agreements was approved of by the competent authorities of those countries.

In conclusion, I would like to emphasize that in our work we are striving for the same as they are in the West.

We have found out that we have one and the same purpose. That is linking security and thorough checks with ensuring people’s rights and liberties. Comfortable border crossing remains a priority issue, despite the significant strengthening of control following the terrorist attacks.

Here I finish my report.

Thank you for your attention.