Tetiana Kovalchuk took part in the seventh meeting of the Subcommittee on Cooperation in the Sphere of Justice, Freedom and Security of the Association Committee between Ukraine and the EU
Today, May 19, during the meeting, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Tetiana Kovalchuk informed the EU side about the achievements on the way to reform the bodies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the introduction of European standards in the activities of the law enforcement agency.
In particular, emphasis has been placed on scaling up the “Community Police Officer” project, opening of police stations, introduction of a system for fixing administrative offenses in the field of ensuring traffic safety in automatic mode, further development of a single comprehensive video surveillance system, combating domestic violence and mass violence Stacking of the custody records system.
Separately, emphasis was placed on the implementation of legislative changes regarding the simplification of pre-trial investigation of certain categories of criminal offenses.
“As a result of the measures taken, we were able to reduce the burden on investigators, which allowed them to focus on the investigation of serious crimes,” the deputy minister noted.
The European partners were pleased with the news on the development of the draft Strategy for Public Security and Civil Protection, as well as the Action Plan for the implementation of the Strategy for Combating Organized Crime and the draft government act on the introduction of the serious crime threat assessment system - SOCTA Ukraine into the activities of public authorities.
The EU delegation, led by Mr Richard Tibbells, noted significant progress in the implementation of the Integrated Border Management Strategy, as well as in the development of cooperation in the field of migration and asylum, with particular emphasis on the high level of implementation of the readmission agreement.
The parties discussed the prospects of Ukraine's participation in initiatives under the new Pact on Migration and Mobility, as well as the possibility of Ukraine joining the European Migration Network. At the same time, the EU side stressed that Ukraine's fulfillment of its commitments is a prerequisite for the continuation and expansion of support from the EU.
In turn, Tatiana Kovalchuk testified that the Ministry of Internal Affairs is ready to continue work in the direction of adapting legislation and strengthening capabilities in combating organized crime, meeting the criteria for the functioning of the visa-free regime with the EU and recommendations of the European Commission. The Deputy Minister also expressed interest in developing approaches to the adaptation of national legislation in terms of compliance with the Schengen Code on Borders and conducting joint information campaigns on the introduction by the European Union of a pre-authorisation system for travel.
The Parties positively assessed the intensification of cooperation with the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, Europol and the Agency for the Training of Law Enforcement Officers — CEPOL, and expressed the hope that the implementation of joint projects will strengthen the capacity and effectiveness of the fight against trafficking in human beings and illegal arms trafficking Drugs, drugs and other criminal activities.
Photo by Andriy Novytskyi
