On 15-22 May, ICMPD facilitated a series of workshops for the Moldovan Border Police aimed at guiding it in handling evaluations in line with EU good practices as defined by the SchEval Mechanism. The training team was composed of both EU and local experts with the view to ensure transfer of knowledge for project sustainability.
The training activity built upon the Border Evaluation carried out by the same expert team earlier this year. Following the evaluation, the Moldovan Border Police expressed the need for training its staff in hosting similar future exercises as the country advances towards EU integration.
The week-long mission started with a briefing with the Moldovan Border Police’s headquarters on the workshop agenda, approach, and methodology. Although the initial target of the training was the regional directorates across the country in order to build their capacity to host external or self-assessment exercises in a standardised manner, the expert team also proposed to have a dedicated workshop at Chisinau Airport. On the occasion of the briefing meeting, the expert team took the chance also present and validate with the top management the Border Evaluation Report.
Through a series of five workshops in different locations across the country, over 90 regional and local managers have been trained in various aspects of evaluation. The workshops included subjects as varied as border control and surveillance, risk analysis, data exchange and cooperation, HR and training, fundamental rights and anti-corruption, logistics, infrastructure and special systems. As part of this activity, the expert team compiled and handed over to the Border Police a checklist of standard assessment questions to be used for future in-house capacity building. Following the training, the expert team debriefed with the Border Police's top management to discuss the training outcomes and share needs, observations and ideas for future training.
The project “Support to the Complex Improvement of Migration and Border Management in Moldova” (SCOP) aims to help Moldovan authorities with the consolidation of migration and border management system in line with the EU Acquis. The objective of its Component 3.1. "Strengthening Border Police operational capacities for border security" is to contribute to Moldovan Border Police’s resilience and capacities, including effective management of the state border and timely and adequate response to crisis situations. The action is implemented by ICMPD and is funded by the Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic.