Regional workshop on enhancing interagency cooperation in the area delegation of functions in border and customs control started in Almaty, Kazakhstan on 11 February. The event gathers 20 representatives from Border and Customs Services from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

Recently, in such EU countries as Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, a method of delegating the functions between customs and border services at the first border control line is being actively developed. This method allows to accelerate the movement of passengers and goods across the border and to use more effectively resources of border agencies. Within this workshop EU experts present their experience in delegating border control functions at the checkpoint, thereby providing an opportunity to participant to get acquainted with this innovation and discuss its the benefits and risks.

In particular, attention is being paid to interagency cooperation, its main objectives and legal framework; synchronized control and delegation of functions / tasks of border and customs control at the checkpoint; cooperation in the field of information exchange and risk analysis. Based on Finland, Estonia and Lithuania best practices, practical examples of implementing this method, including analysis of the results are presented to participants.