ZAGREB, Jan 28(Hina) - Croatian, German and Slovene officials attended on Wednesday an event marking the completion of the "Integrated Border Management -
ZAGREB, Jan 28(Hina) - Croatian, German and Slovene officials attended
on Wednesday an event marking the completion of the "Integrated Border
Management -#L#
Border Police" Twinning Project, which was funded by the European
Commission (EC) with EUR10.5 million under the CARDS 2001 programme.
This was the first Twinning project between the Croatian police and
the border police forces of Germany and Slovenia, which the EC had
drawn up to help European Union admission candidates strengthen their
institutional and administrative capacity. The project was launched in
2002 and focused on legislative adjustment and the organisation and
training of Croatia's border police.
Croatian Interior Minister Marijan Mlinaric said the project had
helped Croatia create conditions for the establishment of an effective
border control system.
The chief of the EC Delegation to Croatia, Jacques Wunenburger, said
the EC would continue helping Croatia through the CARDS programme this
year, and that EUR24 million had been secured to strengthen the
capacity of the border police. The goal is to ensure open but
controlled and safe borders, he said.
German Deputy Ambassador to Croatia Laurids Hoelscher said the results
of the project reflected the willingness of the parties involved to
help Croatia in its integration into Europe.
Slovene Ambassador Peter Andrej Bekes said this was the first time
Slovenia had participated in a project of this kind.
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