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On Saturday, fourteen EU missions, including EUBAM Rafah, celebrated Europe Day 2019 together with the European institutions in Brussels. The doors were open to the public and the annual Open Day attracted thousands of visitors of all ages. They were entertained by cultural performances, had their faces painted, met Captain Europe, won awards at the Wheel of Fortune and became wiser on how the EU engages with its neighbours.

The European External Action Service opened its doors to the public in celebration of the annual Open Day of the European Union on 02 May 2019 in the West Bank city of Nablus.

Both EUBAM Rafah and EUPOL COPPS took part in the one-day event at a public park in the city, along with representatives of the Some EU Member states. The participating bodies shared with hundreds of visitors who packed the outdoor event some aspects of their cultural and traditional aspects.

In fulfillment of the needs of the General Administration for Borders and Crossings, EUBAM Rafah organized a-two-day-training on Anti-Smuggling Techniques.

The Mission’s IBM Expert supported by Border Police and Customs Experts in EUBAM delivered a workshop aimed at building the capacities of GABC’s personnel and developing their competencies in the field of detecting and fighting smuggling.

Four EUBAM mission members were awarded the CMPD Medal for having met the eligibility requirements and the necessary period of qualifying service in one of the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) Missions.

For the first time since his appointment as the CivOpsCdr in September 2018, Vincenzo Coppola visited the European Union Border Assistance Mission for the Rafah Crossing Point (EUBAM Rafah).

The EU Civilian Operations Commander Vincenzo Coppola and the Head of the Operations Division at CPCC Jean Marc Pisani visited the two CPCC Missions in the territories; EUBAM Rafah and EUPOL COPPS, located respectively in Ramat Gan and Ramallah.

For the Duration of three days, EUBAM Rafah held its first “Leadership Development” workshop. The workshop, which started on April 1st, was the first of a series of three leadership trainings targeting top General Administration for Borders and Crossings (GABC) managers.

Throughout its year-long activities, EUBAM Rafah has remained dedicated to the empowerment of women working under the umbrella of the General Administration for Borders and Crossings on all border-related issues. This comes as part of the Mission’s efforts to support women in their strive for further social, economic, cultural and political achievements. 

With globalisation, border authorities play an increasingly important role in facilitating trade and circulation of goods and people across borders while protecting national interests and security.

Yet, corruption and weak accountability make borders porous and difficult to control, thus fuelling various forms of illegal activities such as human and drug trafficking, arms and goods smuggling in addition to organised crime and terrorism. Cross-border corruption has a severe negative impact on trade, revenue collection, shipping costs and security.

This week, the last of three training modules was delivered to the General Administration for Borders and Crossings (GABC). The module forms part of a comprehensive training programme, which is foreseen to be concluded later this year with a study trip.

The programme aims to enhance the operational performance of five designated units within GABC. It entails assessing the work and organisational capacity of each unit and bringing forward recommendations as to how their operational capacity and daily functioning can be improved.

Countering terrorism is a universal effort that rests on many agencies and institutions working to protect our societies. Early detection of potential terrorism and plotting extremism are counter-terrorism means which contributes to higher security through prevention and elimination of threats and risks.