On 15 February 2017, the Committee for Civilian Aspects of Crisis Management (CivCom) chaired by Mrs. Jana Kalimonova visited Palestine. The delegation was composed of representatives from 25 EU member states and a number of officials from the EU’s External Action Service from Brussels. The purpose of the visit was for EU delegates to familiarise themselves with the situation on the ground and the day-to-day work of the Mission.
During their visit, the delegation accompanied by the Head of EUBAM Rafah Mission, met with the General Director Governor Mr. Nazmi Muhanna of the Palestinian General Administration for Border & Crossings (GABC) in Jericho with the presence of the Administration’s top managers. The CivCom delegates were briefed on the activities carried out by EUBAM Rafah and on key challenges in implementing the mandate in the framework of the Palestinian Authority (PA) Preparedness Project, launched in October 2014, as well as operational priorities for upcoming months were discussed. The CivCom delegates later interacted with the main Mission's counterpart and discussed the work carried out by the Mission in the framework of the PA Preparedness Project aimed at enhancing the preparedness of the Palestinian border authorities to redeploy to Rafah Crossing Point and manage it according to international standards. The visit also included a site-visit to Al-Karamah terminal, where the delegates have been presented the daily workflow, as well as the training centre rehabilitation project funded by EUBAM Rafah.
