Between 27
September-8 October, Frontex led an international operation to crack down on
serious transnational crime at EU’s eastern land borders.
The
operation Joint Action Day Finestra focused on excise goods and other illegal commodities
smuggling, migrant smuggling and associated document fraud. It was led by
Frontex and Romanian authorities but brought together authorities and officers
from 13 countries and 7 European agencies and international organisations.
The action
had several goals:
- identification of criminal
networks behind the smuggling of excise goods, especially tobacco products;
-
tackling
cross-border crime incl. people smuggling and related document fraud;
-
exchange
of information and strengthening cooperation between EU member states and other
participating countries (Ukraine and Moldova).
-
sharing
best practices between participants and national organisation of each participating
countries
The action took place at selected border
crossing points at EU’s Eastern
and South-eastern external land border that were identified based on careful risk
analysis. It was supported by Frontex standing corps officers deployed at the
land borders and coordinated from the agency’s Warsaw headquarters.
“In this Joint Action Day, we saw all the
threats to EU’s external borders in just two weeks. We had the possibility
to interact with colleagues from all the participating countries, allowing us
to exchange and verify police information quickly, which is essential to carry
out investigations.The data collected during the JAD are very useful for every
law enforcement agency – it shows us the real dimension of the smuggling
phenomenon and other types of crime at the external borders. Thanks to risk
analysis, we were able to allocate proper law enforcement resources where they
were needed to fight against smuggling,” said Alexandru Enachescu,
Deputy Director of Economic Crime Central Unit from General Inspectorate of
Romanian Police:
“Such operations allow us to understand how
other countries combat serious crime and exchange best practices. I am looking
forward to working together with all countries that participated in the
action,” he
concluded.
Leaders:
Frontex and Romania
Participants:,
Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia,
Hungary, Italy, Spain, Moldova and Ukraine, the European Border and Coast Guard
Agency (Frontex), European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation
(EUROPOL), European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation (EUROJUST),
OLAF (European Anti-Fraud Office), EUBAM MD/UA (European Border Assistance
Mission to Moldova and Ukraine), International Criminal Police Organization
(Interpol), World Customs Organisation (WCO), Interpol.
The
operation was part of European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal
Threats (EMPACT), a four-year plan for the fight against serious and organised
crime. It brings together police and law enforcement authorities of EU Member
States, European agencies and international organisations to jointly strengthen
Europe’s borders and internal security.
