Border surveillance on high grounds.

Common Challenge: The Romania-Ukraine border region faces a significant challenge with illegal migration. This includes unauthorized border crossings, human trafficking, and the exploitation of migrants. The geographical and socio-political landscape of this border area creates a complex environment for migration control, necessitating a robust and cooperative response from both nations' border police. Overall Objective and Expected Change: The primary objective of this project is to strengthen border security and reduce illegal migration along the Romania-Ukraine border. The expected change is a significant reduction in illegal border crossings and human trafficking incidents, leading to enhanced security and stability in the region. The project aims to create a more controlled and humane border environment, ensuring the protection of legal migrants' rights while curbing illegal activities. Main Outputs and Beneficiaries: Joint Surveillance Systems: Deployment of advanced surveillance technology along the border. Training Programs: Comprehensive training for border police in areas such as human rights, migrant handling, and advanced surveillance techniques. Intelligence Sharing: Establishment of a real-time intelligence-sharing between the two countries. Community Outreach Programs: Initiatives to engage border communities in migration issues and prevention. Beneficiaries include the border police forces of both countries, local border communities, legal migrants, and wider regional stability initiatives. Approach and Need for Cross-Border Collaboration: The approach includes joint operations, shared training, and continuous intelligence exchange. A cross-border approach is essential due to the transnational nature of illegal migration. Coordinated efforts allow for a more effective response to the dynamic challenges of migration, preventing gaps in security and ensuring a unified strategy. Novelty and Originality: This project introduces several innovative elements: Bilateral Real-Time Intelligence System: A pioneering approach to real-time data sharing and analysis. Community-Driven Intelligence Gathering: Engaging local communities as active participants in migration management. Integrated Training: Focused on human rights and ethical handling of migrants, setting a new standard for border control operations. Sustainable Approach to Border Control: Emphasizing humanitarian aspects and legal compliance, the project aims to balance security concerns with human rights, setting a precedent for future border management initiatives. This cross-border project represents a progressive step towards more humane and efficient border management, respecting the complexities of migration while safeguarding regional security, also the project's implementation represents the securing of the external borders of the European Union, combating illegal migration, and cross-border crime. Furthermore, equipping the beneficiary entities will enhance the quality of their actions and improve interaction between partner organizations and citizens, ensuring a more efficient, situation-based approach.

Both partners in the project have finalized the Project Procurement Plan in line with programme rules, Issued the Order/Decision appointing the Project Team members and clarified roles For LP1 the deliverable D1.1.6 Service for procuring visibility items from activity A1.1 Communication and visibility was achieved. The procurement of visibility materials was made in line with the requirements of the Visibility rules for the Romania–Ukraine 2021–2027 Programme, ensuring that information about EU support is communicated clearly and transparently to the public. During Reporting Period no. 2, the implementation of the OLYMP project, ROUA00089, progressed through a series of coordinated activities carried out jointly by TIBP Sighetu Marmației and the 27th Border Guard Detachment. The reporting period was mainly focused on launching the project, strengthening the cooperation framework between the partners, planning future joint activities and advancing the procurement process for the equipment necessary to improve operational mobility and response capacity in the eligible border area. A major achievement of the reporting period was the successful organisation of the official project opening conference, held on 29 September 2025, with the participation of representatives of all project partners, including the delegation from the 27th Border Guard Detachment Mukachevo. The event marked the formal launch of the project and ensured a common understanding of the project objectives, partner responsibilities, implementation calendar, expected results and planned outputs. At the same time, the opening conference created the necessary framework for communication, coordination and joint decision-making between the Romanian and Ukrainian partners from the very beginning of the project. Another important milestone was the organisation of the first joint workshop, held on 27 November 2025, with the participation of representatives of both partners. The workshop focused on establishing the foundations of the bilateral cooperation framework and on identifying common operational needs, priority areas for cooperation and practical coordination mechanisms. This activity directly contributed to the preparation of the Joint Cooperation Plan, which represents one of the key outputs of the project and a necessary basis for the future implementation of joint trainings, exercises and coordinated field interventions. Progress was also achieved in relation to capacity building and the improvement of operational capabilities. During the reporting period, the procurement procedure for ATVs and snowmobiles was fully finalised in compliance with the applicable programme and national procurement rules. This equipment is essential for increasing mobility, accessibility and intervention capacity in difficult terrain and in winter conditions, particularly in areas where rapid response and cross-border coordination are required. The equipment is expected to be delivered during the following implementation period and will be integrated into the practical activities, exercises and operational cooperation actions planned within the project. Overall, the activities carried out during Reporting Period no. 2 strengthened cooperation between TIBP Sighetu Marmației and the 27th Border Guard Detachment, ensured strategic and operational alignment between the partners and created the organisational, procedural and logistical foundation for the successful implementation of future project activities. The added value of the cross-border cooperation is reflected in the joint planning process, the shared identification of operational priorities and the preparation of common tools and equipment-based actions that will contribute to safer, more efficient and better coordinated border management. The progress achieved during this period supports the timely implementation of the project and does not affect the achievement of the planned indicators, outputs and objectives.