Ukrainian Border Guards Enhance Skills at Estonian Academy

The cooperation project was funded by the Estonian Centre for International Development (ESTDEV) with more than 170 000 euros. The aim of the project is to contribute to the reconstruction of Ukrainian border guard structures, democratic development and good governance, as well as EU integration and integration by training 50-60 border guard instructors by the end of next year.

The process of EU accession may take years and will require Ukraine to bring its legislation into line with EU laws, including everything related to border management, surveillance and control. The Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs has approached Estonia with a request for advice on border guard units, building on Estonia's own experience of EU accession and Schengen.

Eva-Maria Liimets, ESTDEV's programme manager for Democracy and the Rule of Law, said supporting Ukrainian reforms is difficult but essential. "We consider it very important that Ukrainian officials and policymakers directly familiarise themselves with best practices for the protection of human rights and to ensure the rule of law is upheld throughout the EU accession process and beyond," said Liimets.

Liimets said that Ukraine's current challenges are similar to those faced by Estonia before joining the European Union. By sharing experience and skills, Estonia can assist Ukraine in making more effective reforms.

Aleksander Raketski, Head of Frontex at the Estonian Academy of Security Sciences, said that the first training module of Smart Border for Ukraine (SBUK) was successful and Ukrainian border guards were satisfied with the lecturers, instructors and the content of the training. "They were very interested in the lectures on Schengen and land border protection. Ukraine really wants to join the European Union and they are working hard to achieve this," said Raketski. 

The Estonian Academy of Security Sciences will conduct four five-day training courses for the Ukrainian border guards, two of which will take place in 2024 and two in 2025.

The project was funded under this year's ESTDEV Ukraine Call for Proposals, which supported projects focusing on mitigating the war damage caused by Russian aggression, promoting good governance and democratic development, strengthening independent media and countering misinformation, supporting small business and promoting modern education. 

The evaluation panel of the call for proposals said at the time that the training of border guards was important in view of Ukraine's accession to the European Union. The panel also appreciated the fact that one of the components of the training is the training of trainers, which helps to ensure sustainability. The longer-term objective of the project, together with Nordic and Baltic partners, is to establish a reference border crossing point on Ukraine's western border, with the possibility of a similar one in other regions of Ukraine after the end of hostilities.