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EUBAM Rafah welcomes the arrival of new Head of Mission Nataliya Apostolova.

Nataliya Apostolova is an experienced Bulgarian diplomat who has served over 25 years both in her national diplomatic administration and in the European External Action Service (EEAS).

Just before joining EUBAM Rafah, she concluded her three-year tenure as Head of Mission of EUPOL COPPS, the other EU CSDP Mission based and operational in the Palestinian Territories.

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The two CSDP Missions EUBAM Rafah and EUPOL COPPS held a meeting in Ramallah to further enhance cooperation and plan future joint activities with Palestinian counterparts.

Three senior members of the European Union Border Assistance Mission for the Rafah Crossing Point - EUBAM Rafah - presented to EUPOL COPPS’ Head of Operations, Police and Justice Advisors the Mission’s mandate and future plans as well as highlighted the importance of the EU Integrated Approach. 

On June 26th, the Head of Mission of EUBAM Rafah, Florin Bulgariu, attended the official handover of additional technical equipment for the Command and Control Center of the General Administration for Borders and Crossings (GABC) in Jericho. The project has been planned by the Mission’s Operations Department and successfully implemented in close cooperation with a Palestinian High-Tech Company.

From 18th until 22nd of June 2023, EUBAM Rafah facilitated a leadership development course for seven managers from the General Administration for Borders and Crossings (GABC) in cooperation with Riga Technical University in Latvia. The training addressed important topics with regard to leadership and management skills as well as communication and conflict management.

Two Customs Experts from EUBAM Libya have successfully completed their second deployment for EUBAM Rafah. They were deployed for three weeks through the Exchange of International Staff Mechanism to provide crucial support for a key Trade Facilitation Project of the Office of the European Union Representative (West Bank and Gaza Strip, UNRWA). The primary objective of the project is to enhance Palestinian trade with Jordan by introducing shipping containers for goods.

From 28th until 30th of May 2023, EUBAM Rafah together with two trainers from the German Police State Bureau for Training, Professional Development and Personnel of North Rhine-Westphalia (LAFP) delivered a training course on Conflict Management and Conflict Prevention to the General Administration for Borders and Crossings (GABC).

From April 25th to 27th, 2023, EUBAM Rafah facilitated a working mission for a delegation from the General Administration for Borders and Crossings (GABC) to attend the World Border Security Congress (WBSC) in Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia.

On 9th March 2023, EUBAM Rafah together with the General Administration for Borders and Crossings (GABC) hosted a joint visit of EU Ambassadors to Jericho and GABC.

After a briefing by Nazmi Mhanna, the Director General of GABC, and EUBAM Head of Mission Florin Bulgariu on the work of GABC and EUBAM's achievements, the delegation visited Al Karameh Terminal and the Command and Control Centre (CCC) of GABC. The CCC was funded by EUBAM Rafah and its operators were trained by a Specialized Team, deployed by the Mission. It consisted of two Hungarian and two Polish experts. 

International Women's Day is an opportunity to celebrate women’s achievements but also to raise awareness about gender discrimination and to promote the empowerment of women and girls.

On 8th of March, Florin Bulgariu, Head of Mission of EUBAM Rafah, thanked all mission members for their dedication. He recalled the history of International Women’s Day and stressed the inequalities that still exist between women and men all over the world.